“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” II Corinthians 3:3
What if we lived daily remembering that we are letters from Christ? As Jesus is the Logos, the Word of God who lived on earth and showed what the Father is really like, so we are letters reflecting the One who has saved us. And the Author of the letter is none other than the ‘Spirit of the living God.’
What an incredible strategy God has chosen! But I must ask myself: What do people read in me? Do I deny self and give the Holy Spirit complete access to my heart and full liberty to write as He chooses? Having experienced God’s love and forgiveness, will I let the chief messages of my life be mercy, grace, and love?
Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand were born in Romania in the early 1900′s. Both were raised in Orthodox Jewish homes, but after marrying and moving to Budapest, the couple became consumed with the pleasures of the world. But Jesus found Richard and Sabina and revealed Himself as the Messiah and the true meaning of life. The Wurmbrands became ‘letters from Christ’ to all they met. In the 1940′s, Sabina’s family was captured in their small village and taken to a concentration camp where they died under Hitler’s terror. After World War II, a million Russian soldiers entered Romania as Communism invaded Europe. Richard spoke nine languages and tried to share Christ with Russians, Germans, fellow Romanians, and Jews and Gentiles from every nation. The Wurmbrand home became a place of refuge for orphans and brokenhearted people from many backgrounds. Even though friends warned them of the dangers of loving all people, Richard and Sabina knew the will of God. Both husband and wife spent years in jail as a result of being Christians, but even in prison, people came to know Christ through his servants.
Late one night, Richard met a German soldier who confessed his role in the murder of many Jews. In fact, he had worked in the very concentration camp where Sabina’s family was murdered. The rugged man would not accept Richard’s message of a Savior who died so that even Nazi atrocities could be forgiven. “OK, here will be my proof that what I tell you is true. Come to my home at this late hour and I will wake my wife and introduce you as one who had a role in the death of her family. She will welcome you to our home and say you are forgiven. She will then set food on our table and treat you as an honored guest. You will see for yourself the amazing love of God.” The man took Richard up on his offer and when Sabina did just as her husband predicted, the man’s heart melted and he came to know Christ.
Of course not every person the Wurmbrands met accepted God, but the ‘letter’ does not control the reader. Some may not understand, some will ignore or reject the message, and others will adamantly oppose the gospel. We are not to judge or be angry, but rather continue to love and ask the Holy Spirit to mold us into the image of the Son.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with everlasting glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” II Corinthians 3:17-18
Recommended reading: The Pastor’s Wife by Sabina Wurmbrand, ©1970 The Voice of the Martyrs, Inc.