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A challenging, inspiring, but sobering look at the power of God in the midst of intense persecution. Not for the faint of heart. My rating: ★★★★★
Content warnings: violence, abuse, torture, drunkenness | Click here to read full post
What a challenging, powerful story. Over and over, I thought of the Apostle Paul—this story so strongly paralleled his in the ways Sergei believed he was doing the right thing by persecuting believers. It was amazing to see how God is still at work and how his power can intervene in the lives of those we would never expect to come to Christ.
It was even more amazing to see how his power filled the lives of the Believers in Russia. I think sometimes I have a picture of persecuted saints as being somehow superhuman or at least superChristian. But the Believers were such everyday people. They were afraid. But they had something worth dying for. I want my life to be like that.
It’s not an easy read. It’s sobering to realize what Christians have suffered not so very long ago and are still suffering in some countries. Persecution didn’t stop with the Inquisition. For those reasons, I recommend caution if you’re sensitive to violence, abuse, and honest depictions of cruelty, both toward the Believers and also toward Sergei and the other children in the Communist orphanages. I commend Sergei for his honesty—especially when it came at such a high cost for him. At the same time, the power of God is on display in miraculous ways as he awakened Sergei to what he was doing. This is a story filled with hard things, a mighty God, and amazing grace.
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Jayna Baas is the author of Preacher on the Run. She is a member of the ACFW and The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free short story here.