Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. - (Colossians 3:16)
Many translations use the term “spiritual songs” and so we miss the connection. From the point of view of the early believers, for anything to truly be “spiritual” they have involved the Holy Spirit.
Worship, and in particular singing, offers the Holy Spirit a great place to be active in our lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ (Eph. 5:17-21). Whether in worship moments that are large or small, formal or informal, in the “big box” (church building) or in private places, let’s ask for the Holy Spirit to be active, powerfully moving and inspiring us as we worship!
Prayer : God Almighty, thank you for giving us music! Singing moves my heart and inspires me to action. I ask that in every venue that I find myself worshiping in song that your Holy Spirit will be active in my heart to inspire me to holy living, ministry, and compassion. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
It was the book that shocked the world. After surviving 14 years in communist prisons, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand came to America to proclaim the trials and testimonies of our persecuted brothers and sisters.
In Tortured for Christ, Wurmbrand tells of his imprisonment for his work with the underground church and introduces the work of The Voice of the Martyrs. The Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide.
Voice Of Martyrs was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned 14 years in Communist Romania for his faith in Christ.Forty years later, The Voice of the Martyrs remains true to its calling to be a voice for persecuted Christians, to serve with them in their time of need and to assist them in their efforts to proclaim the gospel.
Tortured for Christ : Book Review
Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Jew who gave up atheism for Christianity in his youth, writes about his years working as a pastor in the secret, Underground Church in Romania. Wurmbrand writes about this very book that it has “no literary value,” which is true. He writes in a “stream-of-consciousness” style, seemingly paying little attention to chronology and jumping from event to event.
But while Wurmbrand does not skillfully craft a literary masterpiece, he does give the reader quite a masterpiece as far as emotions and history are concerned. I’m aware of little historical work on Underground Churches anywhere–be it Eastern Europe, the Middle East, China, or other lands. Wurmbrand does history a great service as he provides a first-hand account of Romania’s secret church, how they worshiped, how they evangelized, how they communicated and provided support for each other, etc. The resourcefulness of the Church was both inspiring and surprising.
This book is also very emotionally charged. Wurmbrand pulls no punches as he describes the means by which he and other Christians were tortured: placed naked in a freezer until nearly dead, warmed up, then placed back in the freezer repeatedly; made to partake in a mock-Communion service of urine and feces; cut several times then placed in a room full of starving rats; and then there’s the conventional methods of torture: beating, attacking your family, and raping. Reading Wurmbrand’s description of these acts shocked this reader several times.
I highly recommend this book for both its historical and inspirational value. It is also highly recommended because, while Romania’s Underground Church no longer has to operate in secret, there exist Underground Churches in other nations of the world: China, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba (just to name a few). Reading about this particular underground church has given me insight to how the other Underground Churches still operate today.
Free copy of Tortured for Christ
Are you a U.S. resident? If yes, get a free complimentary copy of Tortured for Christ at your doorstep, right now in 2 weeks. (only one copy allowed per household). Are you interested?
And then you will also be awarded with a complimentary subscription to The Voice of The Martyrs, the award-winning monthly newsletter, which will keep you informed on Christian persecution worldwide while sharing practical opportunities to help Christians who are persecuted for their faith.
Please get the beautiful book, and after reading it, please share your thoughts, as comments under this article. Looking forward to see your reviews on Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand.
Catholic Belief about Virgin Mary : The attention Catholics pay to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and other saints can seem strange and excessive. Many Catholics light candles and pray kneeling in front of statues of Mary. They pray rosaries and novenas to Mary. They hold large and elaborate processions, carrying crowned statues aloft amid a carpet of flowers.
To some this attention goes beyond what Christians should pay to another Human being. To some, Catholic devotion to Mother Mary is Idol Worship.
Mary, The Mother of God
In fact, the unique and special place Catholics assign to Jesus’ mother, Mary is clearly grounded in Scripture. The attention Catholics give to Mary is based on her role as the Mother of God.
Mary is the fulfillment of the Old testament prophecy (Is 7:14) Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. His name shall be called Emmanuel (which means God is with us). (Mt. 1:23)
Mary is the Mother of Him who is God-with-us. Mary is therefore the Mother of God. Because of the hypostatic union, the inseparable union between the two natures of Jesus, Mary is rightfully the Mother of God. She is the Mother of Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. This is what the angel Gabriel announced to Her : ‘Behold, you conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High’ and that he ‘will be called holy, the Son of God…’ (Lk 1:30,34)
While many mothers act as though their children are divine, in Mary’s case, her son really is GOD.
In scripture, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth affirms she is the Mother of God : ‘When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with holy spirit, cried out in aloud voice and said : ‘Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the Mother of My Lord should come to me?’ (Lk 1:41-43)
Mary’s special position as the Mother of God is a unique grace which she received from God. The angel Gabriel addresses her, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you’ (Lk 1:28) He tells her ‘you have found favor with God’ (Lk 1:30) And Mary said: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. For He has looked upon His handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name’ (Lk 1:46-49)
Catholic devotion to Mary is the fulfillment of this scripture, to call her the Blessed Mother in every generation. Mary was blessed by God in this unique way in order that she would be worthy to bear in herself and raise the Son of God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) declares : ‘To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary was enriched by God with Gifts appropriate to such a role’. The angel Gabriel at the moment of annunciation salutes her as ‘full of grace’. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace. (CCC 490)
Mary is the Mother of God, not as existing before God, or as the source of God in Himself. Mary is the mother of God when He was born on earth in Bethlehem.
Immaculate Conception
In order to be the the Mother of the Son of God who would redeem the world from sin, Mary was kept free from sin by the very redemption her Son would bring about on the Cross.
Through the centuries, the church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854 : ‘The most blessed Virgin Mary was from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by the virtue of Jesus Christ, Saviour of human race, preserved immune from all stain of Original sin. (CCC 491)
The redemption Mary received from God comes through the merits of Her Son, Jesus Christ. Our redemption repairs the damage of the sin we have committed. Her redemption preserved Her from committing any sin.
Although sinless, Mary did not cast the first stone, much to the relief of the woman caught in adultery.
The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
As a result of being preserved by God’s grace from sin, Jesus also gave His Mother a share in His Resurrection.
‘Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of Her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.
The assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians. (CCC 966)
The Intercession of Mary
Since Mary was most blessed by God, and lives now with Him in glory, Catholics turn to Her for help.
At the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus shows He listens to and fulfills the requests of His mother. ‘When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you’ (Jn 2:3-5) Mary had faith in her Son, and He responded to her request.
Furthermore, Jesus, on the cross, gave His Mother Mary, to St.John to be his mother, and thereby to be the blessed Mother of the Church. When jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son.’ Then He said to the disciple ‘Behold,your mother.’ And from that hour, the disciple took her into his home. (Jn 19:26-27)
Thus the Book of Revelation describes Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant in heaven : ‘A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. The rest of Her offspring are those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus…(Rev 12:1-2,5,17)
The honor given to Mary, the Mother of God, should not be confused with the worship which is reserved for God alone. The Church honors her for the grace God showed her in preserving her from sin, in choosing her to be the earthly mother of His son, and her obedience to and faith in His Word.
We also ask for Her to pray to God on our behalf. Read the article Should we pray to Mary. But the Church never offers her praise, adoration, sacrifice or worship; All the honor given to her is on account of the favor God showed her. ‘The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times, the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God’, to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs…This very special devotion… differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration. (CCC 971)
Please watch the Mother Mary Video given at the top of this article, which explains all this through the video clip. But for those, who are not able to play the Mother Mary Video, don’t worry. Every word in the video clip is already written as text on this page.
[Thanksgiving and Prayer] We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. — 2 Thessalonians 1:3
