Many years ago when Richard Wurmbrand was head of "Jesus to the Communist World" they issued a series of tapes titled "How to Form an Underground Church" or something like that. We have these tapes - somewhere, still. I was hoping SI would have these recordings in their archives but I could not find it there.

I went online and found what appears to be a transcript of these talks. Richard gave it to a gathering of believers in Mozambique,I think, as they were looking at possible persecution coming to their country in the near future. This presentation was given many years ago but believe it to be just as informative for us today as it was back then.

Here is the link:
http://richardwurmbrandbio.info/prepare.html

In his talk he instructs how a Believer can/must prepare for persecution. Very insightful...I would encourage all to check this out.

ginnyrose

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“If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Thank you so much for posting this.

This is very important:

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TRUTH ABOUT THE TRUTH

How much each one of us can suffer depends on how much he is bound up with a cause, how dear this cause is to him, and how much it means for him.
In this respect we have had in Communist countries very big surprises. There have been gifted preachers and writers of Christian books who have become traitors. The composer of the best hymnal of Romania became the composer of the best communist hymnal of Romania. Everything depends on whether we have remained in the sphere of words or if we are merged with the divine realities.

God is the Truth. The Bible is the truth about the Truth. Theology is the truth about the truth about the Truth. A good sermon is the truth about the truth about the truth, about the Truth It is not the Truth. The Truth is God alone. Around this Truth there is a scaffolding of words, of theologies, and of exposition. None of these is of any help in times of suffering. It is only the Truth Himself Who is of help, and we have to penetrate through sermons, through theological books, through everything which is 'words' and be bound up with the reality of God Himself.

I have told in the West how Christians were tied to crosses for four days and four nights. The crosses were put on the floor and other prisoners were tortured and made to fulfill their bodily necessities upon the faces and the bodies of the crucified ones. I have since been asked: "Which Bible verse helped and strengthened you in those circumstances?" My answer is: "NO Bible verse was of any help." It is sheer cant and religious hypocrisy to say, "This Bible verse strengthens me, or that Bible verse helps me." Bible verses alone are not meant to help.

We knew Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want... though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...." When you pass through suffering you realize that it was never meant by God that Psalm 23 should strengthen you. It is the Lord who can strengthen you, not the Psalm which speaks of Him so doing. It is not enough to have the Psalm. You must have the One about whom the Psalm speaks. We also knew the verse: "My Grace is sufficient for thee." But the verse is not sufficient. It is the Grace which is sufficient and not the verse.

Pastors and zealous witnesses who are handling the Word as a calling from God are in danger of giving holy words more value than they really have. Holy words are only the means to arrive at the reality expressed by them. If you are united with the Reality, the Lord Almighty, evil loses its power over you; it cannot break the Lord Almighty. If you only have the words of the Lord Almighty you can be very easily broken.

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SermonIndex.net Moderator - Brother Greg

"I am so deeply concerned that we should rise and shake of the grave clothes of dead denominational Christianity that lives on a dead tradition and runs like a track with the engine off while the momentum carries it on. I am concerned that we should enter the Christian life that we should be a people indwelt with the Holy Spirit, recognize ourselves as a minority group living in a world that hated our Lord and hates us for our Lord’s sake." - A.W. Tozer

The truth that is found only in Jesus himself. For he Saud I am the truth.

Bear.

QUOTE:
"Holy words are only the means to arrive at the reality expressed by them. If you are united with the Reality, the Lord Almighty, evil loses its power over you; it cannot break the Lord Almighty. If you only have the words of the Lord Almighty you can be very easily broken."


This section on "Truth" has had a profound impact on me for years...

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“If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” (Charles Spurgeon)

"How much each one of us can suffer depends on how much he is bound up with a cause, how dear this cause is to him, and how much it means for him.
In this respect we have had in Communist countries very big surprises. There have been gifted preachers and writers of Christian books who have become traitors. The composer of the best hymnal of Romania became the composer of the best communist hymnal of Romania. Everything depends on whether we have remained in the sphere of words or if we are merged with the divine realities.

God is the Truth. The Bible is the truth about the Truth. Theology is the truth about the truth about the Truth. A good sermon is the truth about the truth about the truth, about the Truth It is not the Truth. The Truth is God alone. Around this Truth there is a scaffolding of words, of theologies, and of exposition. None of these is of any help in times of suffering. It is only the Truth Himself Who is of help, and we have to penetrate through sermons, through theological books, through everything which is 'words' and be bound up with the reality of God Himself."

Awesome quote. When I think of how many threads we have had trying to convey these points, and here brother Richard simply outlines the fact that without Jesus burning at the center of your heart, without the passion for someone you actually know ( Jesus) you would never survive the storm. He rightly seperates words from the reality of Jesus. Without the reality of Jesus burning in the center of your heart, all words carry no meaning..............bro Frank

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http://scottishwarriors.wordpress.com

As I read through this article, I felt as though it was a condensed version of Richard's talks on this subject. After doing a more thorough search I found what appears to be the longer version. Here is the link to the site:

http://preparingfortheundergroundchurchbook.blogspot.com/

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“If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” (Charles Spurgeon)

thank you

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"I was seized by the power of a great affection."
~ Brennan Mannings

Since He looked upon me, my heart is not my own. He hath run away to heaven with it. ~ Samuel Rutherford

I used the quote button but nothing was inserted. Hmmm. I will type it out by hand...

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"I was seized by the power of a great affection."
~ Brennan Mannings

Since He looked upon me, my heart is not my own. He hath run away to heaven with it. ~ Samuel Rutherford