Brother Andrew

Baker Book House, 2002.

September 11, 2001. Muslim extremists carried out the most horrific terrorist attacks on American soil…to date. Why? Because Christians didn't get to them first. Brother Andrew, an internationally known pastor, author, and Bible smuggler, writes in his latest book The Calling, "If we don't go to the Muslims with God's love, they will come to us with guns and terror." Unfortunately, his dire prediction has come true. How can you help change the future?

Brother Andrew is a man who has dedicated his life to serving the suffering church all over the world. In 1955, Brother Andrew began his work: visiting, teaching, encouraging and smuggling in Bibles. He formed an organization called Open Doors, which now has bases in 24 countries, in order to support and encourage Christians living under persecution. Brother Andrew believes that the only way to change the world is to bring Christ to the world, and he believes that we are all part of the answer. If the church in Russia had been truly Christian, he postulates, there would never have been a Communist revolution; the same principle holds true in our time. Therefore, we are accountable for our world and what becomes of it. In his new book, The Calling, Brother Andrew (a.k.a. God's Smuggler) outlines ten steps to fulfilling God's plan in your life. The key is simple: obey.

Recounting his experiences working in Communist Europe, China, Cuba, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, Brother Andrew frames the 10 "Ps" that God has used in his life and the lives of other Open Doors workers to accomplish His will. Interspersed into the text are testimonies written by Open Doors volunteers describing how God has used them to transform lives. Sidebars contain information about the level of persecution in different Muslim-dominated countries. A brief outline of each of Andrew's steps will serve to whet your desire to find out what God has for you, and should (of course) not take the place of reading the book in its entirety. What you are missing in my summary is a record of the faith and determination of the persecuted church, couriers who made amazing and unforeseen connections, and miracles where lives are spared and jailers come to know Christ. The crazy thing is that all this is happening to real Christians, NOW…not to Paul, way back when, in the ancient Roman Empire.

Step One: "Listen to God's Prophetic word for today." God speaks to us primarily through His word in the Bible, so if we really listen to what God is saying, He will reveal what we are to do. One of the most important prophetic words for our generation, Andrew writes, is found in the Great Commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). We should focus on today, because God is interested in the process of shaping us to be like him more than the end product of our lives.

Step Two: "Plan to do today what scripture says." In this chapter, Brother Andrew uses a telling metaphor to describe our relationship to God. He writes that the way becomes clear as we trust God: "The door may seem closed, but it's only closed the way a supermarket door is closed. It stays shut when you remain at a distance, but as you deliberately move toward it, a magic eye above it sees you coming, and the door opens. God is waiting for us to walk forward in obedience so he can open the door for us to serve him." Throughout the book Andrew refers to the massive planning required for each aspect of Open Doors' work in closed countries, from arranging couriers to getting through customs with Christian contraband (Andrew also discusses the ethics of law-breaking) to meeting contacts. In 1981, Open Doors orchestrated and executed the drop of one million Bibles in Communist China…a logistical nightmare to the human mind. Andrew refers to Jesus' words that the fields are ripe for harvest, and affirms that "whoever is reachable is winnable." One key aspect to planning is to have faith. You can't just sit around and wait until you are absolutely certain God is calling you to do something; Jesus said "Go."

Step Three: "Become persistent in Prayer." Brother Andrew reminds us that Jesus often rose early in the morning to spend time alone in prayer. When Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he prayed for 120 days before asking permission of the king. The rebuilding took only 52 days, so as Brother Andrew says, the "real work was the prayer." In addition to praying for guidance and blessing, we should be praying against evil and evil people. In the Muslim world, the call to prayer rings out on loudspeakers five times every day. How persistent are most Christians in prayer?

Step Four: "Prepare to live as a Christian full time." In this chapter, Brother Andrew focuses on the everyday obedience we must live in if we are to accomplish God's will for our lives. We are all called to full time Christian service: "God does not work with volunteers. He calls us. Not one of the twelve apostles was a volunteer. Jesus called each of them, and they left everything behind for him." John the Baptist is an example of a person whose whole life prepared him for one moment of "supreme service." John recognized Jesus in the desert and "introduced [Him] to the world as the Lamb of God."

Step Five: "Penetrate every devil-inspired boundary or barrier." Brother Andrew writes that we must take initiative in breaking down obstacles that arise in the Gospel's path. Not everyone must leave their home countries and become permanent missionaries in the jungle, but we must penetrate the boundaries that exist in our own neighborhoods, offices, schools, and regions. We have to follow Jesus' command, and "Go."

Step Six: "Maximize your opportunities by being Present." Just coming into an area where Christians are suffering makes a difference. We need to consciously steer ourselves into danger areas because if Christ lives in us, then we are bringing Christ into those areas. Throughout his ministry, Brother Andrew has been known as the one who comes in when the others are leaving.

Step Seven: "Establish your Profile as a Christian." Like Joseph, who interpreted dreams in prison, we need to hear people's needs and propose God as a solution. An Open Doors worker stood firm under repeated threats of death to travel to a remote Peruvian village. Christians actually formed a human chain around her to prevent their neighbors from killing her. She intended to leave as soon as she had taped a half-hour's worth of interviews, but the people--whose church building was in rubble and who were routinely raped and robbed--were so grateful for the spiritual communion they begged her to stay for a meal. The mayor of the town was so impressed that an outsider was interested in the those people, he later converted to Christianity and ordered the persecution to stop. The worker knew she had to get to that village and show herself to be a Christian.

Step Eight: "Become part of a Permanent presence wherever you are." After you establish your profile as a Christian, you need to link yourself to a place, a place that will be a house of the Lord. Brother Andrew says that "too many groups have made the missionary call too cheap. God wants our whole lives. There is a price to be paid." Accept where you are, and establish yourself. The Chinese house-church movement has swelled to at least sixty million believers without trained pastors, music directors, or even buildings…just because some believers established houses of prayer.

Step Nine: "Use your platform to Proclaim God's message." Brother Andrew writes that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, and that pressing governments to allow the proclamation of Christ is one of our responsibilities. We also need to proclaim the love of God in our own schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. God has already won the victory, so we just need to get the message out. Again, Muslims proclaim their devotion five times a day, everyday. Do Christians?

Step Ten: "Allow God's Power to flow through you into a needy world." In this chapter, Brother Andrew challenges us to change our perceptions of the Muslim world. We can never reach a group if we consider it to be an enemy. The devil is our enemy; people cannot be our enemy. We also need to avoid taking sides in political controversies, as the issues are too complex. You may not know the following facts. There are many Palestinian Christians who have no advocate either in their own government or from the Israeli occupiers. The number of Christians in the Middle East is shrinking rapidly--from 40% around 1900 to 4% today. Islam is not monolithic; just as there are groups and sects in the Christian world, so there is variety in Muslim belief. While many Muslim groups are open to Jesus and potentially the Gospel message, the church has not been able to effectively handle converts to Christianity. There are about 3.2 million Christians in Pakistan, but they have no rights. Between 60,000 and 200,000 people are slaves in Sudan, an Islamic state, while 2 million Christians live there. "Unless we wake up and strengthen what remains," Brother Andrew writes, "unless we live out our faith at least as seriously as the Muslims live theirs, unless we take the initiative and go to them before they come to us, within a few years we will be facing very dark days as Christians." Someone must rise up, obey God, and strengthen the churches in these persecuted areas. We must reflect the power of God, and so change the world.

The Calling: A Challenge to Walk the Narrow Road is a powerful call to be aware of our world, and to take the steps that will change our world. Anyone who is reachable is winnable for Christ, because Christ is the Answer and He will prevail. It's up to us to reach the world for him. In the end, "Iron, Bamboo, and Sugarcane Curtains, closed borders, dictators, terrorists--these are not the real obstacles that keep us from serving our suffering brothers and sisters. The biggest obstacles lie in our own hearts--fear, doubt, selfishness, materialism, complacency, the unwillingness to risk suffering, and a host of other excuses." Let's stop making excuses and accept our calling.

Contact Open Doors USA:

Open Doors

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Santa Ana, CA 92799

1-888-5-BIBLE-5