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Insanity
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
The Insanity of God is the personal and lifelong journey of an ordinary couple from rural Kentucky who thought they were going on just your ordinary missionary pilgrimage, but discovered it would be anything but. After spending over six hard years doing relief work in Somalia, and experiencing life where it looked like God had turned away completely and He was clueless about the tragedies of life, the couple had a crisis of faith and left Africa asking God, "Does the gospel work anywhere when it is really a hard place? It sure didn't work in Somalia.
Nik recalls that, “God had always been so real to me, to Ruth, and to our boys. But was He enough, for the utter weariness of soul I experienced at that time, in that place, under those circumstances?� It is a question that many have asked and one that, if answered, can lead us to a whole new world of faith.
How does faith survive, let alone flourish in a place like the Middle East? How can good truly overcome such evil? How do you maintain hope when all is darkness around you? How can we say “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world� when it may not be visibly true in that place at that time? How does anyone live an abundant, victorious Christian life in our world’s toughest places? Can Christianity even work outside of Western, dressed-up, ordered nations? If so, how?
The Insanity of God tells a story—a remarkable and unique story to be sure, yet at heart a very human story—of the Ripkens� own spiritual and emotional odyssey. The gripping, narrative account of a personal pilgrimage into some of the toughest places on earth, combined with sobering and insightful stories of the remarkable people of faith Nik and Ruth encountered on their journeys, will serve as a powerful course of revelation, growth, and challenge for anyone who wants to know whether God truly is enough.
Discover more inspirational books in the
Nik recalls that, “God had always been so real to me, to Ruth, and to our boys. But was He enough, for the utter weariness of soul I experienced at that time, in that place, under those circumstances?� It is a question that many have asked and one that, if answered, can lead us to a whole new world of faith.
How does faith survive, let alone flourish in a place like the Middle East? How can good truly overcome such evil? How do you maintain hope when all is darkness around you? How can we say “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world� when it may not be visibly true in that place at that time? How does anyone live an abundant, victorious Christian life in our world’s toughest places? Can Christianity even work outside of Western, dressed-up, ordered nations? If so, how?
The Insanity of God tells a story—a remarkable and unique story to be sure, yet at heart a very human story—of the Ripkens� own spiritual and emotional odyssey. The gripping, narrative account of a personal pilgrimage into some of the toughest places on earth, combined with sobering and insightful stories of the remarkable people of faith Nik and Ruth encountered on their journeys, will serve as a powerful course of revelation, growth, and challenge for anyone who wants to know whether God truly is enough.
Discover more inspirational books in the
322 pages, Paperback
First published December 18, 2012
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About the author
Nik Ripken
12books108followersNik Ripken is the world's leading expert on the persecuted church in Muslim contexts. He is a missions veteran of 30 years, having served primarily in North Africa and the Middle East. He is the author of The Insanity of God and the new book The Insanity of Obedience. He and his wife have done extensive research on the persecuted church, and on Muslim background believers, in approximately 72 countries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,350 reviews
February 19, 2013
First, I need to alert the reader that I personally know the author behind the pseudonym, “Nik Ripken�. I’ve attended conferences he’s led on the persecuted church. I’ve met his wife. I actually went to seminary with his brother-in-law. I once even enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the rooftop terrace of his home in east Africa. I first heard about Nik Ripken some ten years ago at a training conference for strategy coordinators led by representatives of the International Mission Board of the SBC. At an isolated conference center in the Oxfordshire countryside west of London, I listened in amazement to accounts of his research on the persecuted church. I was part of a select group of mission strategists privileged to actually read his report—a document so explosive—so sensitive in nature—that even now I dare not list its title in this review. And I have long been frustrated that those amazing stories of faith persevering and thriving in the teeth of brutal persecution could not be publically shared for fear of adding to the suffering of God’s people. The Insanity of God has finally relieved some of that frustration.
Nik Ripken conducted the most important and comprehensive research on the persecuted church ever attempted in 2,000 years of Christian history. Decades from now, when it is finally safe to publish that research in its entirety, future generation will place it alongside other mission classics such as the Journal of William Carey and Roland Allen’s Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? It will be required reading in seminaries. Missionary candidates will comb its pages for wisdom as they develop strategies for evangelizing the unreached. Until then, if you are not one of the few included in that very limited “need to know� group, may I heartily recommend The Insanity of God.
In its pages the author shares some of the more poignant stories of faith under persecution that were a part of his original research. To do this he has had to change names and some other identifying details in order to protect those involved from needless reprisals. In one particular case I happened to know the story told in considerable detail, so I can personally vouch for the fact that the thrust of what is told in The Insanity of God is absolutely accurate. And believe me, there is no exaggeration in these pages. What made it into print is an understatement of what actually happened. The full story is even more incredible than what you will read.
Even though I had studied the original research, I learned a great deal reading The Insanity of God. It was especially revealing about the background of Nik Ripken. This gave me a fuller appreciation of his life and work. Nik is not a physically imposing guy. He seems altogether ordinary when you meet him. But appearances can deceive. We’re talking Mr. Rogers here: with the valor and audacity of a Navy SEAL.
Reading that original research was an emotionally and spiritually shattering experience for me. Reading The Insanity of God will similarly affect you. It will inspire, horrify, and convict you. You will be amazed by what God is doing in some of the toughest mission fields on earth. You will be shaken by the relentlessness of the enemy. You will be moved to tears—both of sorrow and of joy. It will strengthen your faith. And it will shame you for the shallowness of your own discipleship when confronted by the incredible sacrifices of believers in these places of persecution. And just maybe—and I know this is the desire of the author—it will persuade you that the life of a missionary, be it on the other side of the street or on the other side of the world, is the life you need to be living. This is a dangerous book to read. Approach with caution.
Nik Ripken conducted the most important and comprehensive research on the persecuted church ever attempted in 2,000 years of Christian history. Decades from now, when it is finally safe to publish that research in its entirety, future generation will place it alongside other mission classics such as the Journal of William Carey and Roland Allen’s Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? It will be required reading in seminaries. Missionary candidates will comb its pages for wisdom as they develop strategies for evangelizing the unreached. Until then, if you are not one of the few included in that very limited “need to know� group, may I heartily recommend The Insanity of God.
In its pages the author shares some of the more poignant stories of faith under persecution that were a part of his original research. To do this he has had to change names and some other identifying details in order to protect those involved from needless reprisals. In one particular case I happened to know the story told in considerable detail, so I can personally vouch for the fact that the thrust of what is told in The Insanity of God is absolutely accurate. And believe me, there is no exaggeration in these pages. What made it into print is an understatement of what actually happened. The full story is even more incredible than what you will read.
Even though I had studied the original research, I learned a great deal reading The Insanity of God. It was especially revealing about the background of Nik Ripken. This gave me a fuller appreciation of his life and work. Nik is not a physically imposing guy. He seems altogether ordinary when you meet him. But appearances can deceive. We’re talking Mr. Rogers here: with the valor and audacity of a Navy SEAL.
Reading that original research was an emotionally and spiritually shattering experience for me. Reading The Insanity of God will similarly affect you. It will inspire, horrify, and convict you. You will be amazed by what God is doing in some of the toughest mission fields on earth. You will be shaken by the relentlessness of the enemy. You will be moved to tears—both of sorrow and of joy. It will strengthen your faith. And it will shame you for the shallowness of your own discipleship when confronted by the incredible sacrifices of believers in these places of persecution. And just maybe—and I know this is the desire of the author—it will persuade you that the life of a missionary, be it on the other side of the street or on the other side of the world, is the life you need to be living. This is a dangerous book to read. Approach with caution.
December 5, 2016
Firstly, I need to address the title--it is irreverent. But it is worse than that, in an article defending the choice of title the author writes that God GAVE him the title after much prayer and consideration. God is apparently therefore referring to Himself as insane. But, the author argues, it is not God Himself that is insane but some of His methods and decisions. He also considered "The foolishness of God," which may have been worse, in my opinion. I believe that the author is forgetting that God Himself inspired the use of the word foolishness in the Bible--if God wants to use the word about Himself then that is clearly a matter for God. But, should we really be using words like this to describe God when we need a mediator even to approach Him due to His holiness? It is just symptomatic of the modern church which seeks to place God the Father on our level so that we can relate better to Him. God is not our buddy or mate, He is our Heavenly Father. We should have respect and awe in His presence.
Moving on to the story itself. As a novel it held my attention. The details are interesting and enough detail is given for the reader to be able to relate. The book is really divided into two sections. The first section details the terrible experiences the author had whilst working in Somalia during the war. The author and his wife believed they were called to be missionaries and set off in obedience to their call but somehow ended up working for an aid organisation where they were unable to share the Gospel at all without putting themselves at serious risk.
I have read some criticism of the author for not sharing the Gospel with those who were dying. This is a difficult issue--it seemed to me that there may have been situations where the Gospel could've been shared from the author's descriptions of events. He was traveling alone or with one or two others to remote villages where people were starving to death. His job was to report the situation to his organisation for future assistance. However, many of these people starved during the wait and some villages had to be abandoned as they were impossible to reach with the aid. I don't think it is fair to judge the author as it is not something that he had planned for and he had to consider the requirements of his organisation. However, I can understand why he ended up in despair and wondered whether the work had achieved anything because sadly the answer is "not really." Some people's lives were sustained for a bit longer but spiritually they were still destitute. It sounds as if the author suffered from some form of PTSD--he describes the type of horror that I'm sure those who have served in the armed forces have seen.
The author then lost one of his children to an illness. His family returned from the mission field at this point with serious questions about their callings and their faith, understandably so. It was at this point that they really needed wise counsel, support and encouragement.
Somehow, the author's conclusion was that the great Commission was impossible in countries where Christians are persecuted. He re-configured God's instructions and decided that instead of telling people about Jesus in these countries and taking the consequence, he would embark on a research project for 2 years. He would travel alone to countries where Christians are persecuted, interview people and then consider the findings of his research. After what he had been through in Somalia and with the death of his son, this may have been a sensible course at the time and for the 2 year period. But, surely the end purpose should have been to work out how it would be possible to effectively share the Gospel with people in these countries.
Unfortunately, the author never reaches the stage of actually sharing the Gospel because he continues traveling and collecting stories for the rest of his active ministry. He writes books and makes films and apparently attempts to patent (copyright) a concept called Heartsongs. This is the practice of lifting up praise to God under persecution. He discovered this practice during his research and for some reason decided to patent it!?
I feel sad about what has happened here. The rest of the book (part two) is full of almost unbelievable tales from various countries. Tales of the miraculous and supernatural which appear to me to have been embellished. Tales of God speaking personally to people and visitations by Jesus. BUT they are all third hand and none of them verifiable because the author waited for 15 years before publishing his book. This, due to the possibility of those he had interviewed being at risk, even though he changed names. None of these stories were really unique as similar stories can be found in a number of biographies from missionaries who were sharing the Gospel in these countries hence the background believers in the first place and the existence of the Underground Church.
I found his observations and treatment of the Asian cultures cringeworthy in places as he told the Chinese believers off for allowing him to visit thereby placing themselves in danger. He gives them advice for the future as if he is the one and only expert. He also rebukes an entire group of persecuted Pastors who had appealed for foreign aid after he had asked them what he could do to help....he tells this story as if God Himself placed the words in his mouth but I find that unlikely because his response was neither loving nor gracious in the circumstances.
On Amazon.com he is described as "the world's leading expert on the persecuted church"....I wonder if this is a title that he has given himself and how that can be realistically assessed. He certainly seems to be making a name for himself due to his extensive research. That fact alone is probably at the root of my irritation--it comes across in the provocative title, the sensationalised stories, the use of dramatic language and the suggestion that he tried to copyright/patent a concept he discovered during his research. I only picked the book up due to the forward by David Platt--the title would have put me off otherwise.
For those who have been inspired by the author's stories and these books--and there are many people, I have read numerous 5 star reviews. I would just ask the question, what have you been inspired to actually do? Pray more--great. Give more--also a good idea. Go and obey the Great Commission--probably not as the author has said it is impossible in these countries. He suggests research instead. Personally, I believe we should stick to the Bible and share the Gospel where God leads us to go. Learning and being adequately prepared is only helpful if we actually do something with it.
This book is clean, free of bad language and sexual content. There are some descriptions of violence.
Moving on to the story itself. As a novel it held my attention. The details are interesting and enough detail is given for the reader to be able to relate. The book is really divided into two sections. The first section details the terrible experiences the author had whilst working in Somalia during the war. The author and his wife believed they were called to be missionaries and set off in obedience to their call but somehow ended up working for an aid organisation where they were unable to share the Gospel at all without putting themselves at serious risk.
I have read some criticism of the author for not sharing the Gospel with those who were dying. This is a difficult issue--it seemed to me that there may have been situations where the Gospel could've been shared from the author's descriptions of events. He was traveling alone or with one or two others to remote villages where people were starving to death. His job was to report the situation to his organisation for future assistance. However, many of these people starved during the wait and some villages had to be abandoned as they were impossible to reach with the aid. I don't think it is fair to judge the author as it is not something that he had planned for and he had to consider the requirements of his organisation. However, I can understand why he ended up in despair and wondered whether the work had achieved anything because sadly the answer is "not really." Some people's lives were sustained for a bit longer but spiritually they were still destitute. It sounds as if the author suffered from some form of PTSD--he describes the type of horror that I'm sure those who have served in the armed forces have seen.
The author then lost one of his children to an illness. His family returned from the mission field at this point with serious questions about their callings and their faith, understandably so. It was at this point that they really needed wise counsel, support and encouragement.
Somehow, the author's conclusion was that the great Commission was impossible in countries where Christians are persecuted. He re-configured God's instructions and decided that instead of telling people about Jesus in these countries and taking the consequence, he would embark on a research project for 2 years. He would travel alone to countries where Christians are persecuted, interview people and then consider the findings of his research. After what he had been through in Somalia and with the death of his son, this may have been a sensible course at the time and for the 2 year period. But, surely the end purpose should have been to work out how it would be possible to effectively share the Gospel with people in these countries.
Unfortunately, the author never reaches the stage of actually sharing the Gospel because he continues traveling and collecting stories for the rest of his active ministry. He writes books and makes films and apparently attempts to patent (copyright) a concept called Heartsongs. This is the practice of lifting up praise to God under persecution. He discovered this practice during his research and for some reason decided to patent it!?
I feel sad about what has happened here. The rest of the book (part two) is full of almost unbelievable tales from various countries. Tales of the miraculous and supernatural which appear to me to have been embellished. Tales of God speaking personally to people and visitations by Jesus. BUT they are all third hand and none of them verifiable because the author waited for 15 years before publishing his book. This, due to the possibility of those he had interviewed being at risk, even though he changed names. None of these stories were really unique as similar stories can be found in a number of biographies from missionaries who were sharing the Gospel in these countries hence the background believers in the first place and the existence of the Underground Church.
I found his observations and treatment of the Asian cultures cringeworthy in places as he told the Chinese believers off for allowing him to visit thereby placing themselves in danger. He gives them advice for the future as if he is the one and only expert. He also rebukes an entire group of persecuted Pastors who had appealed for foreign aid after he had asked them what he could do to help....he tells this story as if God Himself placed the words in his mouth but I find that unlikely because his response was neither loving nor gracious in the circumstances.
On Amazon.com he is described as "the world's leading expert on the persecuted church"....I wonder if this is a title that he has given himself and how that can be realistically assessed. He certainly seems to be making a name for himself due to his extensive research. That fact alone is probably at the root of my irritation--it comes across in the provocative title, the sensationalised stories, the use of dramatic language and the suggestion that he tried to copyright/patent a concept he discovered during his research. I only picked the book up due to the forward by David Platt--the title would have put me off otherwise.
For those who have been inspired by the author's stories and these books--and there are many people, I have read numerous 5 star reviews. I would just ask the question, what have you been inspired to actually do? Pray more--great. Give more--also a good idea. Go and obey the Great Commission--probably not as the author has said it is impossible in these countries. He suggests research instead. Personally, I believe we should stick to the Bible and share the Gospel where God leads us to go. Learning and being adequately prepared is only helpful if we actually do something with it.
This book is clean, free of bad language and sexual content. There are some descriptions of violence.
August 30, 2013
This book has affected me deeply. I am still processing it. I did not want the book to end. It put me in touch with a longing to see the Spirit work in my life and in those around me.
December 15, 2016
I just finished this book and have to say that I struggle with writing a review of it. Not because it was a terrible book but because of the internal conflict I have in regards to the content. First, I think I have to just point out that I am not a fan of the title because of the implications of it. The other day I was in a doctor's office and a nurse, who happens to be a follower of Christ, saw the book and asked me about it. Her comment was, "I'm just not sure I can handle the title." I think that is perhaps one of the weaknesses of the book.
but first, the book absolutely worked me over as I realized that I have never, ever, ever suffered for my faith. I mean, really, truly suffered. Sure, I have acquaintances that avoid me and others who say derogatory things about me because of my faith in Christ, but really, that isn't suffering for my faith---at least not when compared to what millions have and are going through across the globe. "The Insanity of God" was an amazing book detailing story after story of accounts of followers of Christ all over the world who have truly suffered because of their faith. Some stories were mind-boggling to me, thinking of the effects of depravity on the human race. So I was challenged in my own personal life. As I read these stories I thought to myself, "Blake, next time you think you are suffering because you know and love Jesus, remember these stories and basically just tell your self to shut up and stop complaining." So in many ways this book was amazing.
To counterbalance that point, I did have a struggle or two with some elements of the book which I will try to explain. I realize that in offering this point of view that I run the risk of some people being frustrated with me. But here goes. At one point in the book the author was talking about the persecuted church in a communist country. He made the point that when people are being arrested and killed and drug off to prison that church leadership and structure are unimportant and no one is sitting around arguing over who can and should or should not lead a church body. While I understand his point, it would seem that it would be wiser still to say that church leadership structure is critical and should still be in conformity to God's Word. When Paul was writing sections of the New Testament, he, along with other believers were being arrested and killed and suffering for their faith, but Paul still saw it as critical to write about church polity, leadership, gifting, etc. My caution over this is more so what people do with what is written and try to make segments of what the Holy Spirit has inspired as less important than others. That's a very dangerous precedent to set when it comes to God's all-inspired Word. This leads to my other struggle/caution I have upon reading this book. There was an emphasis, especially towards the end of the book, given to visions and dreams that I believe can lead to some unhealthy actions and doctrines. While I don't want to dispute the idea that God may have used visions and dreams in incredible ways to lead people to where they hear the gospel, my concern is that those of us who have the full, completed canon of Scripture will be encouraged and influenced to think that God's method and means to communicate his will and desire to all people is via visions and dreams. Frankly, I'm not willing to go there because we have His written Word (something that many of those written about in the book didn't have or only had small sections of) and so, it behooves us to put into practice, to believe what God has already written, and to live by faith, based upon His written word. It is true that God can use dreams and visions. He is God so who am I to say that He doesn't. God can use whatever means He so chooses to communicate to people. But, I'm also hesitant to embrace the idea of visions and dreams as God's norm for communication because I have repeatedly seen the disastrous results that have come about when many people have followed the supposed visions that they received from God. God has been blamed for countless things that were contrary to His nature because of people who claim that God gave them a vision or they had a dream from God that told them to do something.
All-in-all, this book was a great read and I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to read it. It gave me a renewed desire to pray for our persecuted brethren who are in these closed countries and it was greatly sobering to realize the amazing blessings from our Lord.
but first, the book absolutely worked me over as I realized that I have never, ever, ever suffered for my faith. I mean, really, truly suffered. Sure, I have acquaintances that avoid me and others who say derogatory things about me because of my faith in Christ, but really, that isn't suffering for my faith---at least not when compared to what millions have and are going through across the globe. "The Insanity of God" was an amazing book detailing story after story of accounts of followers of Christ all over the world who have truly suffered because of their faith. Some stories were mind-boggling to me, thinking of the effects of depravity on the human race. So I was challenged in my own personal life. As I read these stories I thought to myself, "Blake, next time you think you are suffering because you know and love Jesus, remember these stories and basically just tell your self to shut up and stop complaining." So in many ways this book was amazing.
To counterbalance that point, I did have a struggle or two with some elements of the book which I will try to explain. I realize that in offering this point of view that I run the risk of some people being frustrated with me. But here goes. At one point in the book the author was talking about the persecuted church in a communist country. He made the point that when people are being arrested and killed and drug off to prison that church leadership and structure are unimportant and no one is sitting around arguing over who can and should or should not lead a church body. While I understand his point, it would seem that it would be wiser still to say that church leadership structure is critical and should still be in conformity to God's Word. When Paul was writing sections of the New Testament, he, along with other believers were being arrested and killed and suffering for their faith, but Paul still saw it as critical to write about church polity, leadership, gifting, etc. My caution over this is more so what people do with what is written and try to make segments of what the Holy Spirit has inspired as less important than others. That's a very dangerous precedent to set when it comes to God's all-inspired Word. This leads to my other struggle/caution I have upon reading this book. There was an emphasis, especially towards the end of the book, given to visions and dreams that I believe can lead to some unhealthy actions and doctrines. While I don't want to dispute the idea that God may have used visions and dreams in incredible ways to lead people to where they hear the gospel, my concern is that those of us who have the full, completed canon of Scripture will be encouraged and influenced to think that God's method and means to communicate his will and desire to all people is via visions and dreams. Frankly, I'm not willing to go there because we have His written Word (something that many of those written about in the book didn't have or only had small sections of) and so, it behooves us to put into practice, to believe what God has already written, and to live by faith, based upon His written word. It is true that God can use dreams and visions. He is God so who am I to say that He doesn't. God can use whatever means He so chooses to communicate to people. But, I'm also hesitant to embrace the idea of visions and dreams as God's norm for communication because I have repeatedly seen the disastrous results that have come about when many people have followed the supposed visions that they received from God. God has been blamed for countless things that were contrary to His nature because of people who claim that God gave them a vision or they had a dream from God that told them to do something.
All-in-all, this book was a great read and I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to read it. It gave me a renewed desire to pray for our persecuted brethren who are in these closed countries and it was greatly sobering to realize the amazing blessings from our Lord.
December 24, 2014
There were a lot of things I liked about the Insanity of God by Nick Ripken. But the one thing that makes me madder and madder the more I think about it is that he copyrighted what he calls "HeartSongs". Now, the basis of this book is that this man, whoever he is, is searching for God in the persecuted church. The audacity of taking the thing that he finds and copyrighting it literally makes me want to spit. What happened to "we don't peddle the Word of God for profit"?
How can I believe anything that this guy says? I don't know his real name, I don't know his background, I can't verify his stories. All I know is that this guy is trying to sell me something. That's the only reason to copyright something. And if I've learned one thing from growing up in America, it's "Don't trust anyone who's trying to sell you something". Especially if you've got no relationship with the person or way of proving what they said is true.
Now I want to stress that I believe that God can and has done many things like the things talked about in this book. I live and work in one of the places where the persecution of the church happens. I work with people who have had their homes burned down and their churches burned down. I know that God can do these things. But some of the things that this man is saying don't ring true to my experience. It doesn't mean that his story is not sure. It means that I have no reason to believe that it is true. I place my faith in God, not in people who say they bring God's message. In fact, in the Bible it says "test the spirits". How can I test this book to see if it was true or false? Impossible. Plus he tried to copyright the idea of singing a song to God when you are facing hard times!!!!
So if you take those two factors: the impossibility of verifying anything in the book and ridiculousness of copyrighting an idea, you've got a book that I enjoyed reading at times, but I can't stand and I can't recommend.
I dislike this book.
I hope I'm wrong. I hope being marketed to since birth just made me cynical. I hope Nik is just paranoid, that's why we can't verify anything. But, as it stands, I dislike this book.
That being said there's still some good quotes from the book that I feel are cool.
When I expressed my frustration, one of my national staff recited a Somali saying that he had heard all of his life. Sadly, it explained a lot: I and Somalia against the world; I and my clan against Somalia; I and my family against my clan; I and my brother against my family; and I against my brother.
When I turned to leave, I stopped, looked back, and inquired, “Can you tell me . . . why would you publish a list of one hundred and fifty names when you know that there aren’t that many Christian believers in the entire country of Somalia today?� I realized immediately how stupid that comment was. I should have just kept my mouth shut. But they went ahead and answered my question anyway. “You’re right,� they admitted. “We believe that there are probably no more than forty or fifty Somali Christian traitors left in our country. But we also know that if we list the Christians that we already know about and add to the list those that we are suspicious about, then we have a good chance of getting everyone.� It was a cold and calculated strategy! And it was a strategy that was confirmed by a chilling exchange that I read in a local newspaper a day or two later. A militant Islamist had written a letter to the editor asking: “Why bother killing Somali Christians—wouldn’t it be a more effective strategy just to kill the Westerners that they associate with who might convert them?� The editor responded this way: “Killing Westerners,� he wrote, “might turn them into martyrs. So it is not cost effective to kill western Christians whose deaths might possibly inspire additional committed believers to come to our country and take up each martyr’s mantle.� “If, however, we kill off their converts,� the editor predicted, “the western Christians will be afraid and they will go home.� The editor’s conclusion was chilling: “These western Christians will not be able to watch their converts be killed. When their converts are killed, the western Christians will leave.� As much as I wanted to object, I knew that there was truth in the editor’s words. At the time of those four assassinations, there were approximately seventy committed western workers serving with relief groups in and around Somalia. Two months later, there were four of us still working with Somalis.
The deacon said, “But, Lord, I can’t do that! It’s below zero outside. My horse might freeze and I might freeze!� The Holy Spirit told him, “You must go! The pastor’s family is in trouble!� The man argued, “Lord, you’ve got to know that there are wolves everywhere. They could eat my horse and if they do, they’ll then eat me! I’ll never make it back.� But the deacon said that the Holy Spirit told him, “You don’t have to come back. You just have to go.�
What that means is that, for most believers, persecution is completely avoidable. If someone simply leaves Jesus alone, doesn’t seek Him or follow Him, then persecution will simply not happen. Beyond that, even if someone becomes a follower of Jesus, persecution will likely not happen if the faith is kept private and personal. If a person is silent about their faith in Jesus, the chance of being persecuted is very small. So if our goal is reducing persecution, that task is easily achieved. First, just leave Jesus alone. Second, if you do happen to find Him, just keep Him to yourself. Persecution stops immediately where there is no faith and where there is no witness. The reason for persecution, then, is that people keep finding Jesus—and, then, they refuse to keep Him to themselves. Believers in persecution taught us another important truth. The freedom to believe and witness has nothing to do with the government or political system. The freedom to believe and witness has nothing to do with the civil and political rights that might or might not be present. This is one of the most important lessons that we learned from believers in persecution: They (and you and I) are just as free to share Jesus today in Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Communist countries as you and I are in America. It isn’t a matter of political freedom. It is a simply matter of obedience. The price for obedience might be different in different places—but it is always possible to obey Christ’s call to make disciples. Every believer—in every place—is always free to make that choice. Jesus� last instruction to His disciples was to be witnesses to all peoples. He did not limit His mission to western, democratic, or “free� countries. It was a blanket commandment. It was not a suggestion, or a recommendation, or an option. It was a commandment for all of His followers—to share His message with all peoples. True to Scripture, believers in persecution would remind us that we are all equally free and equally responsible to share Jesus in every corner of the globe. The question is never, “Am I free to do that?� Rather, the question is, “Will I be obedient?� Believers in the world of persecution have already decided their answer to that crucial question.
How can I believe anything that this guy says? I don't know his real name, I don't know his background, I can't verify his stories. All I know is that this guy is trying to sell me something. That's the only reason to copyright something. And if I've learned one thing from growing up in America, it's "Don't trust anyone who's trying to sell you something". Especially if you've got no relationship with the person or way of proving what they said is true.
Now I want to stress that I believe that God can and has done many things like the things talked about in this book. I live and work in one of the places where the persecution of the church happens. I work with people who have had their homes burned down and their churches burned down. I know that God can do these things. But some of the things that this man is saying don't ring true to my experience. It doesn't mean that his story is not sure. It means that I have no reason to believe that it is true. I place my faith in God, not in people who say they bring God's message. In fact, in the Bible it says "test the spirits". How can I test this book to see if it was true or false? Impossible. Plus he tried to copyright the idea of singing a song to God when you are facing hard times!!!!
So if you take those two factors: the impossibility of verifying anything in the book and ridiculousness of copyrighting an idea, you've got a book that I enjoyed reading at times, but I can't stand and I can't recommend.
I dislike this book.
I hope I'm wrong. I hope being marketed to since birth just made me cynical. I hope Nik is just paranoid, that's why we can't verify anything. But, as it stands, I dislike this book.
That being said there's still some good quotes from the book that I feel are cool.
When I expressed my frustration, one of my national staff recited a Somali saying that he had heard all of his life. Sadly, it explained a lot: I and Somalia against the world; I and my clan against Somalia; I and my family against my clan; I and my brother against my family; and I against my brother.
When I turned to leave, I stopped, looked back, and inquired, “Can you tell me . . . why would you publish a list of one hundred and fifty names when you know that there aren’t that many Christian believers in the entire country of Somalia today?� I realized immediately how stupid that comment was. I should have just kept my mouth shut. But they went ahead and answered my question anyway. “You’re right,� they admitted. “We believe that there are probably no more than forty or fifty Somali Christian traitors left in our country. But we also know that if we list the Christians that we already know about and add to the list those that we are suspicious about, then we have a good chance of getting everyone.� It was a cold and calculated strategy! And it was a strategy that was confirmed by a chilling exchange that I read in a local newspaper a day or two later. A militant Islamist had written a letter to the editor asking: “Why bother killing Somali Christians—wouldn’t it be a more effective strategy just to kill the Westerners that they associate with who might convert them?� The editor responded this way: “Killing Westerners,� he wrote, “might turn them into martyrs. So it is not cost effective to kill western Christians whose deaths might possibly inspire additional committed believers to come to our country and take up each martyr’s mantle.� “If, however, we kill off their converts,� the editor predicted, “the western Christians will be afraid and they will go home.� The editor’s conclusion was chilling: “These western Christians will not be able to watch their converts be killed. When their converts are killed, the western Christians will leave.� As much as I wanted to object, I knew that there was truth in the editor’s words. At the time of those four assassinations, there were approximately seventy committed western workers serving with relief groups in and around Somalia. Two months later, there were four of us still working with Somalis.
The deacon said, “But, Lord, I can’t do that! It’s below zero outside. My horse might freeze and I might freeze!� The Holy Spirit told him, “You must go! The pastor’s family is in trouble!� The man argued, “Lord, you’ve got to know that there are wolves everywhere. They could eat my horse and if they do, they’ll then eat me! I’ll never make it back.� But the deacon said that the Holy Spirit told him, “You don’t have to come back. You just have to go.�
What that means is that, for most believers, persecution is completely avoidable. If someone simply leaves Jesus alone, doesn’t seek Him or follow Him, then persecution will simply not happen. Beyond that, even if someone becomes a follower of Jesus, persecution will likely not happen if the faith is kept private and personal. If a person is silent about their faith in Jesus, the chance of being persecuted is very small. So if our goal is reducing persecution, that task is easily achieved. First, just leave Jesus alone. Second, if you do happen to find Him, just keep Him to yourself. Persecution stops immediately where there is no faith and where there is no witness. The reason for persecution, then, is that people keep finding Jesus—and, then, they refuse to keep Him to themselves. Believers in persecution taught us another important truth. The freedom to believe and witness has nothing to do with the government or political system. The freedom to believe and witness has nothing to do with the civil and political rights that might or might not be present. This is one of the most important lessons that we learned from believers in persecution: They (and you and I) are just as free to share Jesus today in Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Communist countries as you and I are in America. It isn’t a matter of political freedom. It is a simply matter of obedience. The price for obedience might be different in different places—but it is always possible to obey Christ’s call to make disciples. Every believer—in every place—is always free to make that choice. Jesus� last instruction to His disciples was to be witnesses to all peoples. He did not limit His mission to western, democratic, or “free� countries. It was a blanket commandment. It was not a suggestion, or a recommendation, or an option. It was a commandment for all of His followers—to share His message with all peoples. True to Scripture, believers in persecution would remind us that we are all equally free and equally responsible to share Jesus in every corner of the globe. The question is never, “Am I free to do that?� Rather, the question is, “Will I be obedient?� Believers in the world of persecution have already decided their answer to that crucial question.
May 14, 2022
I finished this while I was painting a closet� may or may not be tear stains in said paint
January 8, 2019
Wow! This is will definitely be one of my top reads of 2019 (maybe the top read, but it’s hard to tell since it’s only January...)
There are books that are written where the writer tells a story in such a way to evoke deep reactions within you, moving you to tears, or anger, or feeling excited. You feel like you are there, it’s so tangible. Then there are writers who describe real events that move your soul from the very depths of who you are, you hold tight bc it’s so powerful and because it’s REAL life it tears into you in ways you are unprepared for. My soul was so moved to deep sorrow and into highest hope when reading this. I cried. I couldn’t put it down (but had to bc I have little people to take care of) and all I can think of is how beautiful Jesus Christ is and how much I’ve taken for granted. And I want to weep; weep for joy, weep bitter tears of sorrow, and I want to live. This book contains so much heart and soul, life and death, sorrow and joy. Unexplainable things that make no sense apart from a real and Holy God who loves people.
Pick this up and read it. Really read it. I didn’t know what to expect reading this. Here’s the take away: To know Christ and make Him known, whatever the cost.
A lifetime favorite that will need to be revisited again and again.
One story that absolutely broke me inside was when the man runs to Niks office (in war torn Somaliland) WEEPING in despair bc he passed a mother nursing her baby who didn’t stop eating to even notice him, and on his way home hours later heard that baby crying and the mother not noticing or moving. Then he went closer and the mother had literally died while feeding her baby. There was nothing for her and she starved to death while feeding her baby. The man found a mother whose baby had just died of starvation who could take the orphaned baby as her own, so it had a somewhat happy resolution. I can’t imagine such despair! My soul cried in despair. I held my baby tighter looking at his fat chubby legs and thanked God while crying that he and I had enough to eat.
There are books that are written where the writer tells a story in such a way to evoke deep reactions within you, moving you to tears, or anger, or feeling excited. You feel like you are there, it’s so tangible. Then there are writers who describe real events that move your soul from the very depths of who you are, you hold tight bc it’s so powerful and because it’s REAL life it tears into you in ways you are unprepared for. My soul was so moved to deep sorrow and into highest hope when reading this. I cried. I couldn’t put it down (but had to bc I have little people to take care of) and all I can think of is how beautiful Jesus Christ is and how much I’ve taken for granted. And I want to weep; weep for joy, weep bitter tears of sorrow, and I want to live. This book contains so much heart and soul, life and death, sorrow and joy. Unexplainable things that make no sense apart from a real and Holy God who loves people.
Pick this up and read it. Really read it. I didn’t know what to expect reading this. Here’s the take away: To know Christ and make Him known, whatever the cost.
A lifetime favorite that will need to be revisited again and again.
One story that absolutely broke me inside was when the man runs to Niks office (in war torn Somaliland) WEEPING in despair bc he passed a mother nursing her baby who didn’t stop eating to even notice him, and on his way home hours later heard that baby crying and the mother not noticing or moving. Then he went closer and the mother had literally died while feeding her baby. There was nothing for her and she starved to death while feeding her baby. The man found a mother whose baby had just died of starvation who could take the orphaned baby as her own, so it had a somewhat happy resolution. I can’t imagine such despair! My soul cried in despair. I held my baby tighter looking at his fat chubby legs and thanked God while crying that he and I had enough to eat.
June 4, 2017
Can I give it 10 stars please?
I've tried to type up a review, but everything I saw seems trite compared to what you'd read, so I'm going to put in the top 3 moments that stood out to me. (But this whole book is amazing. If you're a Christian, please read this ASAP.)
(I'll be in the corner rethinking my life.)
Trying to go to the mission field:
~When [the mission committee] asked me the same question about when I had received my call, I looked around the meeting room and simply said, "I read Matthew 28."
They thought that maybe I had misunderstood the question. They patiently explained that a special calling was required before someone could go out into the world and do this kind of word. I was not trying to be clever or disrespectful, but I responded, "No, YOU don't understand. I read Matthew 28 where Jesus told his followers 'GO!' So I'm here trying to go."
That prompted a 30 minute explanation about the distinction between the call to salvation and the call to ministry. What was required, I was told, was then a call to take the gospel out into the world, and perhaps even a 4th call to a specific place in the world. Then they asked me what I thought about what they had said.
[...]"Well, it appears to me," I told them, "that you all have created a 'call' to missions that allows people to be disobedient to what Jesus has already commanded all of us to do."
In the Ukraine:
~When I...thanked [Stoyan] for his time, he smiled modestly and replied, "I thank God and I take great joy in knowing that I was suffering in prison in my country, so that you, Nik, could be free to share Jesus in Kentucky."
In China:
~At 6:00 the next morning, I was awakened by screaming and shouting outside in the compound. My first thought was that the security police had come.
[...] What I saw were those Chinese house-church leaders and evangelists scattered around the farmyard, either lying or sitting on the ground, crying, screaming and yelling hysterically (or so it seemed to me). Many of them were pulling their hair or clutching at their clothes.
I spotted my friend David across the way and I rushed over to him. I demanded to know: "What in the world is going on?"
[...] Again he insisted, "Just be quiet, Nik!"[...] Because I was now silent, I actually began to hear and recognize the names of the 2 Muslim countries that I had told them about the night before.
[...] When David stopped and turned to look at me, there were tears streaming down his face. He said, They were so moved by what you shared last night about believers who were TRULY persecuted, that they have vowed befoe God that they will get up an hour earlier every morning to pray for those Muslim-background believers that you told them about [...] until Jesus is known throughout their countries."
I've tried to type up a review, but everything I saw seems trite compared to what you'd read, so I'm going to put in the top 3 moments that stood out to me. (But this whole book is amazing. If you're a Christian, please read this ASAP.)
(I'll be in the corner rethinking my life.)
Trying to go to the mission field:
~When [the mission committee] asked me the same question about when I had received my call, I looked around the meeting room and simply said, "I read Matthew 28."
They thought that maybe I had misunderstood the question. They patiently explained that a special calling was required before someone could go out into the world and do this kind of word. I was not trying to be clever or disrespectful, but I responded, "No, YOU don't understand. I read Matthew 28 where Jesus told his followers 'GO!' So I'm here trying to go."
That prompted a 30 minute explanation about the distinction between the call to salvation and the call to ministry. What was required, I was told, was then a call to take the gospel out into the world, and perhaps even a 4th call to a specific place in the world. Then they asked me what I thought about what they had said.
[...]"Well, it appears to me," I told them, "that you all have created a 'call' to missions that allows people to be disobedient to what Jesus has already commanded all of us to do."
In the Ukraine:
~When I...thanked [Stoyan] for his time, he smiled modestly and replied, "I thank God and I take great joy in knowing that I was suffering in prison in my country, so that you, Nik, could be free to share Jesus in Kentucky."
In China:
~At 6:00 the next morning, I was awakened by screaming and shouting outside in the compound. My first thought was that the security police had come.
[...] What I saw were those Chinese house-church leaders and evangelists scattered around the farmyard, either lying or sitting on the ground, crying, screaming and yelling hysterically (or so it seemed to me). Many of them were pulling their hair or clutching at their clothes.
I spotted my friend David across the way and I rushed over to him. I demanded to know: "What in the world is going on?"
[...] Again he insisted, "Just be quiet, Nik!"[...] Because I was now silent, I actually began to hear and recognize the names of the 2 Muslim countries that I had told them about the night before.
[...] When David stopped and turned to look at me, there were tears streaming down his face. He said, They were so moved by what you shared last night about believers who were TRULY persecuted, that they have vowed befoe God that they will get up an hour earlier every morning to pray for those Muslim-background believers that you told them about [...] until Jesus is known throughout their countries."
March 26, 2022
What a challenging book! This man write of all of his experiences on the mission field that he saw persecution, first hand. His family faced so many trials and dangers, but they never wanted to leave. They never wanted to return to the states. Even when being diagnosed with malaria and being told they should go home to get treatment, they chose a different mission field to go to.
We may not face persecution like what was written about in this book in America, but that does not mean we are any less of a Christian. God calls us to be faithful. He doesn’t say we can only prove our faithfulness when being persecuted. He just asks that we are faithful. This book challenged my heart!
We may not face persecution like what was written about in this book in America, but that does not mean we are any less of a Christian. God calls us to be faithful. He doesn’t say we can only prove our faithfulness when being persecuted. He just asks that we are faithful. This book challenged my heart!
August 14, 2017
"The greatest enemy of our faith today is not communism, Buddhism, Hinduism, atheism, or even Islam. Our greatest enemy is lostness."
This book. Wow. So much heartbreak and joy and weakness laughter and tears and especially a lot of singing. I can't truly capture everything it meant to me, so I'll just say this:
This book is real life in all of its raw brokenness and pain, but with the hope and joy of Jesus. You should read it.
This book. Wow. So much heartbreak and joy and weakness laughter and tears and especially a lot of singing. I can't truly capture everything it meant to me, so I'll just say this:
This book is real life in all of its raw brokenness and pain, but with the hope and joy of Jesus. You should read it.
November 10, 2023
My very good friend, Rachel Steiger, encouraged me to read this book, and I'm so glad she did. When I was young, I used to read extreme devotion by Voice of the Martyrs and D.C. Talks' Jesus Freaks books. Several decades later, I still remember some of the stories; this reminds me of them.
This follows the life of Nik Ripken (name changed to protect the people he has come in contact with in other countries) starting with his answering the call to missions. His mission's journey starts in Somalia. What follows is an amazing account wherein he meets persecuted Christians across numerous countries such as Russia, Ukraine, China, and some countries whose names were redacted to protect the believers there.
One of the most impactful scenes for me was Nik's account of the interactions he had with Christians in China. He was asked:
"Do the people in other countries also know about Jesus, or is He still only known in China?" ...then, with David interpreting for me, I told the group that millions of Americans and even more people in different countries around the world knew about, and followed, Jesus. I then told the group that believers in other parts of the world also knew about them- the Chinese believers in house churches. I told them that believers in many parts of the world prayed for them in their churches.
"Wait, wait!" people cried out. They could hardly believe what I was saying. One man responded this way: "Do you mean that people in your country know that we believe in Jesus? Do you mean that they know that some of us are suffering for our faith? Do you mean that they haven't forgotten us and that they pray for us?"
I assured them: "Why yes, we have always loved you. And we have never forgotten you. For a long time, we have prayed for you." It was a holy moment as these believers realized that they were recognized, remembered, and prayed for by fellow believers around the world....
As I read this section, I was struck with my sense of division. I don't always think about the believers in China or Ukraine or Iraq being my brothers and sisters in Christ who crave my prayers for them.
Another section told of the same group of believers asking Nik an incredible question. Only about 40% of us have already been arrested and put in jail for our Faith. That means 60% of us have yet to go to jail. Would you please share with us how to prepare for prison? What do we need to do to get ready to go to jail for our faith? Nik was astounded not only by their acceptance of when they would be imprisoned and not if, he also felt absolutely unqualified to answer this question. So he told them about other countries who also experienced persecution to the point of physical abuse and death. The Chinese Christians anticipated prison for a minimum of three years if arrested for their faith, but at that time didn't necessarily expect that level of persecution.
At 6 o'clock the next morning I was awakened by screaming and shouting outside in the compound. My first thought was that the security police had come... I spotted my friend, David, across the way, and I rushed over to him. I demanded to know "what in the world is going on?" He told me to be quiet and listen. I actually began to hear and recognize the names of the two Muslim countries that I had told them about the night before. The names of these two countries were being repeated again and again in passionate and anguished prayer.David said, "They were so moved by what you shared last night about believers who were truly persecuted, that they have vowed before God that they will get up an hour earlier every morning to pray for those Muslim believers that you told them about....."
Again, I felt a sense of shame at how disconnected I feel from my brothers and sisters experiencing persecution overseas. I've never prayed for them with this kind of anguish.
Often, I've wondered if we will see persecution and imprisonment in America in my lifetime. I'm currently 33 and I feel like it's a good possibility. At the same time, persecution seems to set people on fire for God. Make them even more passionate and increase God's presence in their lives. Why would Satan want to bring that to a country where Christians are lazy and complacent in their faith?
...should we really be asking God for the end of persecution? By doing that, we might unknowingly be asking that people not come to faith in Christ!....so if our goal is reducing persecution, that task is easily achieved. First, just leave Jesus alone. Second, if you do happen to find Him, just keep Him to yourself. Persecution stops immediately where there is no faith and where there is no witness. The reason for persecution, then, is that people keep finding Jesus-- and, then, they refuse to keep Him to themselves.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for adult material including disturbing images, torture and abuse, and other heavy topics.
Original review posted 11/8/23.
This follows the life of Nik Ripken (name changed to protect the people he has come in contact with in other countries) starting with his answering the call to missions. His mission's journey starts in Somalia. What follows is an amazing account wherein he meets persecuted Christians across numerous countries such as Russia, Ukraine, China, and some countries whose names were redacted to protect the believers there.
One of the most impactful scenes for me was Nik's account of the interactions he had with Christians in China. He was asked:
"Do the people in other countries also know about Jesus, or is He still only known in China?" ...then, with David interpreting for me, I told the group that millions of Americans and even more people in different countries around the world knew about, and followed, Jesus. I then told the group that believers in other parts of the world also knew about them- the Chinese believers in house churches. I told them that believers in many parts of the world prayed for them in their churches.
"Wait, wait!" people cried out. They could hardly believe what I was saying. One man responded this way: "Do you mean that people in your country know that we believe in Jesus? Do you mean that they know that some of us are suffering for our faith? Do you mean that they haven't forgotten us and that they pray for us?"
I assured them: "Why yes, we have always loved you. And we have never forgotten you. For a long time, we have prayed for you." It was a holy moment as these believers realized that they were recognized, remembered, and prayed for by fellow believers around the world....
As I read this section, I was struck with my sense of division. I don't always think about the believers in China or Ukraine or Iraq being my brothers and sisters in Christ who crave my prayers for them.
Another section told of the same group of believers asking Nik an incredible question. Only about 40% of us have already been arrested and put in jail for our Faith. That means 60% of us have yet to go to jail. Would you please share with us how to prepare for prison? What do we need to do to get ready to go to jail for our faith? Nik was astounded not only by their acceptance of when they would be imprisoned and not if, he also felt absolutely unqualified to answer this question. So he told them about other countries who also experienced persecution to the point of physical abuse and death. The Chinese Christians anticipated prison for a minimum of three years if arrested for their faith, but at that time didn't necessarily expect that level of persecution.
At 6 o'clock the next morning I was awakened by screaming and shouting outside in the compound. My first thought was that the security police had come... I spotted my friend, David, across the way, and I rushed over to him. I demanded to know "what in the world is going on?" He told me to be quiet and listen. I actually began to hear and recognize the names of the two Muslim countries that I had told them about the night before. The names of these two countries were being repeated again and again in passionate and anguished prayer.David said, "They were so moved by what you shared last night about believers who were truly persecuted, that they have vowed before God that they will get up an hour earlier every morning to pray for those Muslim believers that you told them about....."
Again, I felt a sense of shame at how disconnected I feel from my brothers and sisters experiencing persecution overseas. I've never prayed for them with this kind of anguish.
Often, I've wondered if we will see persecution and imprisonment in America in my lifetime. I'm currently 33 and I feel like it's a good possibility. At the same time, persecution seems to set people on fire for God. Make them even more passionate and increase God's presence in their lives. Why would Satan want to bring that to a country where Christians are lazy and complacent in their faith?
...should we really be asking God for the end of persecution? By doing that, we might unknowingly be asking that people not come to faith in Christ!....so if our goal is reducing persecution, that task is easily achieved. First, just leave Jesus alone. Second, if you do happen to find Him, just keep Him to yourself. Persecution stops immediately where there is no faith and where there is no witness. The reason for persecution, then, is that people keep finding Jesus-- and, then, they refuse to keep Him to themselves.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for adult material including disturbing images, torture and abuse, and other heavy topics.
Original review posted 11/8/23.
April 15, 2024
I very much enjoyed this book and was equally challenged + encouraged. It is about a missionary who makes it his project to investigate HOW the Gospel is being spread/the Church is growing like crazy in countries where Christians are persecuted. This book is essentially an autobiography up to a point and then turns into a series of interviews and anecdotes from Believers across the world who risk EVERYTHING to follow Jesus. Some main ideas that have stuck with me: 1. God still works and speaks and moves in the same way He did in the Bible. He is the same now and then because He isn’t constrained by our ideas of Him.
2. “Don’t give up in freedom what others refuse to give up in persecution.� We have the opportunity and right to worship Jesus and we so often sit back passively and put other things above Him. So many people across the nations face persecution for their faith, but decide Jesus is worth it. Wow. Help me to view Him as worth it no matter what.
2. “Don’t give up in freedom what others refuse to give up in persecution.� We have the opportunity and right to worship Jesus and we so often sit back passively and put other things above Him. So many people across the nations face persecution for their faith, but decide Jesus is worth it. Wow. Help me to view Him as worth it no matter what.
May 3, 2014
A truly remarkable book. Very stirring and edifying. If I say, "a little light on the scriptural exegesis," don't think that in saying this I believe myself to be worthy to shine the author's shoes (or his wife's). And I can say that precisely because he himself is a humble man. And a godly one.
His insights into the persecuted church around the world would be difficult to improve upon. Who else has had his experiences? He not only ministered faithfully in a nation, Somalia, where persecution of Christians was utterly intense, but he traveled around the world speaking to thousands of persecuted Christians and gleaning insight from them.
I do believe that American Christians need to learn from the example of our persecuted brothers around the world. I'm not a prophet; I have no idea what the future holds. But it's not hard to see clouds gathering on the horizon. For this reason, this is close to a must-read for us.
His insights into the persecuted church around the world would be difficult to improve upon. Who else has had his experiences? He not only ministered faithfully in a nation, Somalia, where persecution of Christians was utterly intense, but he traveled around the world speaking to thousands of persecuted Christians and gleaning insight from them.
I do believe that American Christians need to learn from the example of our persecuted brothers around the world. I'm not a prophet; I have no idea what the future holds. But it's not hard to see clouds gathering on the horizon. For this reason, this is close to a must-read for us.
January 5, 2016
Oh. My. This book is amazing! The more I read about the persecuted church, the more I am convinced that we Americans are pampered Christians and don't know what it really means to follow the Lord. A quote from the book. "Yet our pilgrimage among house churches in persecution convinced us that God may actually want to use th email to save us from the often debilitating, and sometimes spiritually-fatal, effects of our watered-down, powerless western faith."
While the author does not set out to condemn the American church, our very lukewarmness condemns us when compared with the faithfulness of the persecuted church worldwide.
I highly recommend this book!
While the author does not set out to condemn the American church, our very lukewarmness condemns us when compared with the faithfulness of the persecuted church worldwide.
I highly recommend this book!
January 13, 2015
This was an excellent book. I am not sure the extent to which my life will be changed because of having read it, but there is no doubt in my mind that the change will be there. This book has offered a wonderful perspective on living for Christ and how to live BECAUSE of Christ.
December 24, 2015
I'm not even sure how to review this book. It's hard to read all the stories of suffering and persecution as I sit in my cushy home and enjoy all the religious freedom I have simply because I'm an American. This book isn't trying to make us feel bad about or blessings though. Rather it's a call to use those blessings and that freedom to make Christ known. It also has a much different perspective on the persecuted church than I'm used to hearing. Well worth reading, even if you aren't typically a reader. (It's also an easy read in that it is well written and interesting.)
April 2, 2023
“𝘋𝘰𝘯’� 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵!�
Such a good book. A indepth look at what life is like for so many Christians who live in oppressed countries. This man worked intensively with Christians in Somalia and other countries behind the Iron Curtain. He faced much opposition and danger. Later on he interviewed and helped many others who told them their stories of faith. It will leave your heart hurting and rejoicing.
“The reason for persecution, then, is that people keep finding Jesus—and, then, they refuse to keep Him to themselves.�
I’m always left with the question, what is my faith like?
👉🏽𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: for lovers of Christian biographies and heroes of the persecuted church stories.
Such a good book. A indepth look at what life is like for so many Christians who live in oppressed countries. This man worked intensively with Christians in Somalia and other countries behind the Iron Curtain. He faced much opposition and danger. Later on he interviewed and helped many others who told them their stories of faith. It will leave your heart hurting and rejoicing.
“The reason for persecution, then, is that people keep finding Jesus—and, then, they refuse to keep Him to themselves.�
I’m always left with the question, what is my faith like?
👉🏽𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: for lovers of Christian biographies and heroes of the persecuted church stories.
October 8, 2024
Wow um. No words but also I could go on and on. Honestly didn’t know what to expect but that was not what I was expecting at all. Truly INSANE. It’s stories/ interviews from people that are Christ followers in other places like china, africa, and the middle east and just their faith and what they go through day to day. Crazy perspective shift to say the least..
A friend begged me to read this in high school but I never actually read it until now and I wish I read it sooner because I feel like I need to read it again right now to attempt to fully grasp what I just read lol.. Tears and jaw on the floor the entire time.
A friend begged me to read this in high school but I never actually read it until now and I wish I read it sooner because I feel like I need to read it again right now to attempt to fully grasp what I just read lol.. Tears and jaw on the floor the entire time.
March 31, 2025
Literally might be one of my favorite books ever. SO good !!!
May 25, 2024
4.5! I have so many thoughts about this book and I really wish I would have taken notes! It was so eye opening to read about the large part of the world that suffers because of their proclamations of faith. I think this author’s experiences are so unique and worth reading. Really hard to read at points, but so important!
March 4, 2022
I’ve had to take some time to think and process before writing this review.
The topic is a little heavy as he begins with his own journey into missions and ends up in the country of Somalia doing mainly medical and food relief programs. (I believe Somalia is still one of the poorest countries with starvation rampant) There were very few believers in Christ there, and the few He did know were eventually executed.😭
He eventually begins traveling the globe and interviewing persecuted Christians. His stories were touching and eye-opening and has given me a different perspective on persecution. We tend to fear persecution and see it as one of the biggest evils we could face. Yet these believers don’t ask for persecution to stop, rather that they would be faithful to Jesus Christ no matter what.
In Chinese house churches women eventually were leading because all the men had been arrested. I found that interesting to think about!
If you want to be challenged in your comfortable American Christianity this would be a great place to start!
I felt a little guilty at the end like I’m not that great of a Christian since I don’t face persecution. Or I can never be one if I don’t suffer in an extreme way. I don’t think that’s what the author was going for, just how I was feeling at the end -but that may be entirely related to my personality.
God calls us to be faithful to Him no matter what our circumstances are- persecution or peaceful times. I believe each scenario can carry its own weight of difficulty and lessons to be learned. I believe you can be a great Christian no matter where you are!
But ultimately God is working around the world in unbelievable ways and many that we will not know until heaven! That is so beautiful to think about!!!❤️
The topic is a little heavy as he begins with his own journey into missions and ends up in the country of Somalia doing mainly medical and food relief programs. (I believe Somalia is still one of the poorest countries with starvation rampant) There were very few believers in Christ there, and the few He did know were eventually executed.😭
He eventually begins traveling the globe and interviewing persecuted Christians. His stories were touching and eye-opening and has given me a different perspective on persecution. We tend to fear persecution and see it as one of the biggest evils we could face. Yet these believers don’t ask for persecution to stop, rather that they would be faithful to Jesus Christ no matter what.
In Chinese house churches women eventually were leading because all the men had been arrested. I found that interesting to think about!
If you want to be challenged in your comfortable American Christianity this would be a great place to start!
I felt a little guilty at the end like I’m not that great of a Christian since I don’t face persecution. Or I can never be one if I don’t suffer in an extreme way. I don’t think that’s what the author was going for, just how I was feeling at the end -but that may be entirely related to my personality.
God calls us to be faithful to Him no matter what our circumstances are- persecution or peaceful times. I believe each scenario can carry its own weight of difficulty and lessons to be learned. I believe you can be a great Christian no matter where you are!
But ultimately God is working around the world in unbelievable ways and many that we will not know until heaven! That is so beautiful to think about!!!❤️
May 23, 2022
It’s awesome. I cried twice! slow start but once it gets going, it goes.
some lessons/challenges/calls/convictions:
-appreciate my country and my present! the gift is that we can openly worship God, people can come to the Faith without government persecution, and that the Lord is still moving here in America.
-pray for those who are persecuted and who cannot openly read their bibles or pray. im humbled but know the power of God can grow the kingdom
-acknowledge the hand of God at work in each of our lives. that each have our own spiritual gifts and each have have story that the Lord will use for good.
-present suffering is not eternal
-be a sheep among wolves!
some lessons/challenges/calls/convictions:
-appreciate my country and my present! the gift is that we can openly worship God, people can come to the Faith without government persecution, and that the Lord is still moving here in America.
-pray for those who are persecuted and who cannot openly read their bibles or pray. im humbled but know the power of God can grow the kingdom
-acknowledge the hand of God at work in each of our lives. that each have our own spiritual gifts and each have have story that the Lord will use for good.
-present suffering is not eternal
-be a sheep among wolves!
February 15, 2025
3rd read, once in hs, once in college, and once now. Still my favorite book of all time. Like old friends and new refocus. Please read.
March 20, 2025
Could not put it down. Eye opening read into the lives of people who walk with Jesus everyday. Changed my perspective for the better. Definitely a yearly read if not more often than that.
February 3, 2023
This is a must read. This will stir your affections for the Lord, for the global persecuted church, and for the unreached. There is just nothing like hearing what the Lord is doing in some of the darkest places around the world, even right now.
•ĢĢĢĢĢĢĢ�
Here’s one of my favorite moments in the book, when Ripken was in Russia speaking with persecuted Christians there. (This passage is long but worth the read)
(The Russian) asked (Nik Ripken), “Tell me, Nik. How many times have you awakened your sons before dawn and brought them to a window like this one, one that faces east, and said to them, ‘Boys, watch carefully. This morning you’re going to see the sun coming up in the east! It’s going to happen in just a few more minutes. Get ready now, boys.� How many times have you done that with your sons?�
“Well,� I chuckled, “I’ve never done that. If I ever did that, my boys would think I was crazy. The sun always comes up in the east. It happens every morning!�
The old man nodded and smiled. I didn’t understand his point.
I didn’t understand his point, that is, until he continued: “Nik, that’s why we haven’t made books and movies out of these stories that you have been hearing. For us, persecution is like the sun coming up in the east. It happens all the time. It’s the way things are. There is nothing unusual or unexpected about it. Persecution for our faith has always been—and probably always will be—a normal part of life.�
His words took my breath away. Though I understood what he was saying, I wondered if it was true. Certainly, I had never heard this before. In fact, there was a part of me that wanted to object to his claim. I wondered if the certainty of persecution meant that evil had the upper hand. And, then, I wondered if it was insane to believe that faith could actually flourish where persecution always is normal and ordinary, like “the sun coming up in the east.�
I had always assumed that persecution was abnormal, exceptional, unusual, out of the ordinary. In my mind, persecution was something to avoid. It was a problem, a setback, a barrier. I was captivated by the thought: what if persecution is the normal, expected situation for a believer? And what if the persecution is, in fact, soil in which faith can grow? What if persecution can be, in fact, good soil?
•ĢĢĢĢĢĢĢ�
Another helpful takeaway:
“Rather than thinking that we are all alone and that we have to start from scratch in wolf country, a much better and more effective strategy for carrying out the great commission, especially in our world’s toughest and most discouraging places, would be to learn what God already has been doing and is doing there, join Him, and together figure out how we can build on that.�
•ĢĢĢĢĢĢĢ�
My prayer after reading this would clearly be: Lord, increase my faith and boldness!
•ĢĢĢĢĢĢĢ�
Here’s one of my favorite moments in the book, when Ripken was in Russia speaking with persecuted Christians there. (This passage is long but worth the read)
(The Russian) asked (Nik Ripken), “Tell me, Nik. How many times have you awakened your sons before dawn and brought them to a window like this one, one that faces east, and said to them, ‘Boys, watch carefully. This morning you’re going to see the sun coming up in the east! It’s going to happen in just a few more minutes. Get ready now, boys.� How many times have you done that with your sons?�
“Well,� I chuckled, “I’ve never done that. If I ever did that, my boys would think I was crazy. The sun always comes up in the east. It happens every morning!�
The old man nodded and smiled. I didn’t understand his point.
I didn’t understand his point, that is, until he continued: “Nik, that’s why we haven’t made books and movies out of these stories that you have been hearing. For us, persecution is like the sun coming up in the east. It happens all the time. It’s the way things are. There is nothing unusual or unexpected about it. Persecution for our faith has always been—and probably always will be—a normal part of life.�
His words took my breath away. Though I understood what he was saying, I wondered if it was true. Certainly, I had never heard this before. In fact, there was a part of me that wanted to object to his claim. I wondered if the certainty of persecution meant that evil had the upper hand. And, then, I wondered if it was insane to believe that faith could actually flourish where persecution always is normal and ordinary, like “the sun coming up in the east.�
I had always assumed that persecution was abnormal, exceptional, unusual, out of the ordinary. In my mind, persecution was something to avoid. It was a problem, a setback, a barrier. I was captivated by the thought: what if persecution is the normal, expected situation for a believer? And what if the persecution is, in fact, soil in which faith can grow? What if persecution can be, in fact, good soil?
•ĢĢĢĢĢĢĢ�
Another helpful takeaway:
“Rather than thinking that we are all alone and that we have to start from scratch in wolf country, a much better and more effective strategy for carrying out the great commission, especially in our world’s toughest and most discouraging places, would be to learn what God already has been doing and is doing there, join Him, and together figure out how we can build on that.�
•ĢĢĢĢĢĢĢ�
My prayer after reading this would clearly be: Lord, increase my faith and boldness!
January 3, 2024
Pretty darn good.
- "Believers in persecution asked us to pray that 'they would be able to be faithful and obedient through their persecution and suffering'" -pg.306
- The story of the Chinese women who were not motivated by a title, a position, or status to fulfill God's teachings. They were just being obedient.
- The call to preach to the lost is not a place your going, it is an act of obedience.
These were some of my favorite takeaways as well as the step back and reflection of the miracles I continue to take for granted here in Western civilization.
- "Believers in persecution asked us to pray that 'they would be able to be faithful and obedient through their persecution and suffering'" -pg.306
- The story of the Chinese women who were not motivated by a title, a position, or status to fulfill God's teachings. They were just being obedient.
- The call to preach to the lost is not a place your going, it is an act of obedience.
These were some of my favorite takeaways as well as the step back and reflection of the miracles I continue to take for granted here in Western civilization.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2025
A collection of stories and testimonies that are faith building and encouraging of the reader to reflect on their own belief in Jesus, daily disciplines and view of God in how he works in partnership with his people on this earth through global missions. I was humbled by these stories and grateful for the shift in perspective it brought to me around the complacency of Western Christianity and everyday miracles of the faith.
June 8, 2024
Absolutely insane amazing phenomenal book that was gripping and life changing. I cannot recommend it enough.
“Jesus is revealed in the lives and words and resurrection faith of believers in persecution.
These believers don't just live for Jesus, they live with Jesus every day.
These believers have also taught me a whole new perspective on persecution. For decades now, many concerned western believers have sought to rescue their spiritual brothers and sisters around the world who suffer because they choose to follow Jesus. Yet our pilgrimage among house churches in persecution convinced us that God may actually want to use them to save us from the often debilitating, and sometimes spiritually-fatal, effects of our watered-down, powerless western faith.�
“Jesus is revealed in the lives and words and resurrection faith of believers in persecution.
These believers don't just live for Jesus, they live with Jesus every day.
These believers have also taught me a whole new perspective on persecution. For decades now, many concerned western believers have sought to rescue their spiritual brothers and sisters around the world who suffer because they choose to follow Jesus. Yet our pilgrimage among house churches in persecution convinced us that God may actually want to use them to save us from the often debilitating, and sometimes spiritually-fatal, effects of our watered-down, powerless western faith.�
January 6, 2025
Can’t recommend this book enough!! Incredible stories of God at work throughout the nations. There are so many incredible & convicting lines that I could quote, but I think everyone should just read this book for themselves!
August 13, 2023
New fav book. Cant even begin to describe how much this changed me. Opened my eyes & caused TEARS TO FLOW UNCEASINGLY FROM THEM WOW PLS READ
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