{"id":12554,"date":"2020-08-28T12:00:49","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T09:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=12554"},"modified":"2020-08-28T12:00:49","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T09:00:49","slug":"please-get-this-one-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/please-get-this-one-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Please Get This One Right"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">In this episode of The Gospel Today I talk about the blessedness of persecution. I share with you some of the story of Richard Wurmbrand and I talk about how we can prepare ourselves for persecution.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness&#8217; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-quote\"><cite><strong>Mat 5:10-12<\/strong><\/cite><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S01E08.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fplease-get-this-one-right%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-3\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S01E08.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=12554-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S01E08.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"TGT_S01E08.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 46:11 &#8212; 42.3MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('12554-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_12554-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_12554-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S01E08.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fplease-get-this-one-right%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-4&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The story of Richard Wurmbrand<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.torturedforchrist.com\/graphics\/full\/who\/1948mugshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In order to understand Christian persecution it is sometimes helpful to look into the lives of those Christians who have successfully endured persecution from the hands of evil and godless people. These testimonies help to embolden our faith and to see the true blessedness in persecution even if we have not experienced what they have experienced.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Last November I had the privilege of visiting the prison in Bucharest, Romanian where Pastor Richard Wurmbrand was confined and tortured for his faith.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" data-attachment-id=\"12556\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/please-get-this-one-right\/dsc_0723\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1702\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D40&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1573078715&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0723\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-1024x681.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-12556\" src=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-1075x715.jpg 1075w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-483x321.jpg 483w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-360x239.jpg 360w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0723-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\r\n<figcaption>The entrance to the prison where Richard Wurmbrand was incarcerated in Bucharest, Romania<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Altogether he spent about 14 years in communist prisons. Three of those years he spent in solitary confinement. This confinement was in a cell twelve feet underground, with no lights or windows. There was no sound because even the guards wore felt on the soles of their shoes. He later recounted that he maintained his sanity by sleeping during the day, staying awake at night, and exercising his mind and soul by composing and then delivering a sermon each night.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" data-attachment-id=\"12557\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/please-get-this-one-right\/dsc_0635\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1702\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D40&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1573075008&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0635\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-1024x681.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-12557\" src=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-1075x715.jpg 1075w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-483x321.jpg 483w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-360x239.jpg 360w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0635-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\r\n<figcaption>An underground passage lined with prison cells.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\u201cChristians were hung upside-down on ropes and beaten so severely that their bodies swung back and forth under the blows. Christians were also placed in ice-box \u201crefrigerator cells,\u201d which were so cold that frost and ice covered the inside. I was thrown into one while I had very little clothing on. Prison doctors would watch through an opening until they saw symptoms of freezing to death, then they would give a signal and guards would rush in to take us out and make us warm. When we were finally warmed, we would immediately be put back into the ice-box cells to freeze. Thawing out, then freezing to within minutes of death, then being thawed out\u2014over and over again! Even today there are times when I can\u2019t bear to open a refrigerator. We Christians were sometimes forced to stand in wooden boxes only slightly larger than we were. This left no room to move. Dozens of sharp nails were driven into every side of the box, with their razor-sharp points sticking through the wood. While we stood perfectly still, it was all right. But we were forced to stand in these boxes for endless hours; when we became fatigued and swayed with tiredness, the nails would pierce our bodies. If we moved or twitched a muscle\u2014there were the horrible nails. What the Communists have done to Christians surpasses any possibility of human understanding. I have seen Communists whose faces while torturing believers shone with rapturous joy. They cried out while torturing the Christians, \u201cWe are the devil!\u201d We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers of evil. We saw that communism is not from men but from the devil. It is a spiritual force\u2014a force of evil\u2014and can only be countered by a greater spiritual force, the Spirit of God.<\/p>\r\n<p>Wurmbrand, Richard. <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3jlVE3d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tortured for Christ<\/a> (pp. 46-47).<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12562\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12562\" data-attachment-id=\"12562\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/please-get-this-one-right\/dsc_0616\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1702\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D40&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1573074790&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0616\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A large cell that would have held 40+ prisoners.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-1024x681.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12562\" src=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-1075x715.jpg 1075w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-483x321.jpg 483w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-360x239.jpg 360w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0616-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-12562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A large cell that would have held 40+ prisoners.<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>When I look back on my fourteen years in prison, it was occasionally a very happy time. Other prisoners and even the guards very often wondered at how happy Christians could be under the most terrible circumstances. We could not be prevented from singing, although we were beaten for this. I imagine that nightingales, too, would sing, even if they knew that after finishing they would be killed for it. Christians in prison danced for joy. How could they be so happy under such tragic conditions?<\/p>\r\n<p>Wurmbrand, Richard. <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3jlVE3d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tortured for Christ<\/a> (p. 81).<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"12563\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/please-get-this-one-right\/dsc_0628\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1702\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D40&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1573074942&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DSC_0628\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-1024x681.jpg\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-12563\" src=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-1075x715.jpg 1075w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-483x321.jpg 483w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-360x239.jpg 360w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSC_0628-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\u201cI can never describe the beauty of this Church! Often, after a secret service, Christians were caught and sent to prison. There, Christians wear chains with the gladness with which a bride wears a precious jewel received from her beloved. The waters in prison are still. They receive His kiss and His embraces, and would not change places with kings. I have found truly joyful Christians only in the Bible, in the Underground Church, and in prison.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u2015 <strong>Richard Wurmbrand, <\/strong><a title=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3jlVE3d\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3jlVE3d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Tortured for Christ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Persecution has always produced a better Christian\u2014a witnessing Christian, a soul-winning Christian. Communist persecution has backfired and produced serious, dedicated Christians such as are rarely seen in free lands. These people cannot understand how anyone can be a Christian and not want to win every soul they meet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Wurmbrand, Richard. <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3jlVE3d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tortured for Christ<\/a> (pp. 152-153).<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>How is it that the believer in Christ can endure such persecution and endure it with Joy? The answer is simple, we have a great hope, a powerful Savior, a sure promise, and ever present help.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S01E08.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fplease-get-this-one-right%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S01E08.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=12554-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S01E08.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"TGT_S01E08.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 46:11 &#8212; 42.3MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('12554-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_12554-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_12554-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S01E08.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fplease-get-this-one-right%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-2&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><!--powerpress_player-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">In this episode of The Gospel Today I talk about the blessedness of persecution. I share with you some of the story of Richard Wurmbrand and I talk about how we can prepare ourselves for persecution.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[297],"tags":[541,196,540,347,542],"class_list":["post-12554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-gospel-of-matthew","tag-persecution","tag-richard-wurbrand","tag-romania","tag-sermon-on-the-mount","post_format-post-format-audio"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Uncomfortable-Questions-on-Love-and-Marraige-2.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-3gu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4147,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/when-will-persecution-come-to-american-churches\/","url_meta":{"origin":12554,"position":0},"title":"When Will Persecution Come to American Churches?","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"July 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Persecution of Christians is still on the rise in Eastern Ukraine where Russian separatist have taken control. Just a few days ago in the city of Donetsk the separatist seized Donetsk Christian University along with about 20 staff. For the last 23 years there really was not any significant persecution\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/persecution-flag-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/persecution-flag-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/persecution-flag-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5520,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/will-same-sex-marriage-and-the-lgbt-agenda-bring-persecution-to-churches-in-the-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":12554,"position":1},"title":"Will Same-Sex Marriage and the LGBT Agenda Bring Persecution to Churches in the US?","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"July 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Just 30 years ago the USA was considered to be a nation that operated out of a Judeo\/Christian worldview. On the other hand the USSR was considered to be a godless atheistic nation where persecution of the church was common. 30 years later and ironically theses two countries have flip-flopped.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/new\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Desktop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Desktop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Desktop.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7839,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wheres-the-house-jesus-promised-me-season-3-episode-9\/","url_meta":{"origin":12554,"position":2},"title":"Where&#8217;s the House Jesus Promised Me? | Season 3 Episode 9","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"May 25, 2017","format":"audio","excerpt":"Did you know that Jesus promised that his followers would receive houses here on earth? Some call this promise the \"100 fold\" principle and you can find it in Matthew 19:29, Luke 18:29 and Mark 10:29-30. In this episode of \"Now Is the Time\"\u00a0I talk about what Jesus really meant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/AdobeStock_138372302.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/AdobeStock_138372302.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/AdobeStock_138372302.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/AdobeStock_138372302.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/AdobeStock_138372302.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4000,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/30-how-to-pray-for-ukraine-17-ways\/","url_meta":{"origin":12554,"position":3},"title":"#30 How to Pray for Ukraine -17 Ways","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"May 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is a national day of prayer and fasting in Ukraine before the presidential elections which will take place tomorrow, May 25th. In this episode of \"Now is the Time\"\u00a0I talk about the some of the persecution of Christians that is happening in Eastern Ukraine and I share 17 ways\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/ukraine-vote-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/ukraine-vote-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/ukraine-vote-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19739,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/persecution-of-christians-in-ukraine\/","url_meta":{"origin":12554,"position":4},"title":"Persecution of Christians in Ukraine","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"April 17, 2025","format":"video","excerpt":"Recently, I\u2019ve heard claims\u2014mainly from conservative media in the West\u2014suggesting that the Ukrainian government is persecuting churches. Is this true? In this video, I share firsthand insight into Ukraine\u2019s religious freedoms, the constitutional protection of faith, and the real reason behind the 2023 law concerning churches tied to Moscow. While\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Americas-identity-crisis.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Americas-identity-crisis.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Americas-identity-crisis.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Americas-identity-crisis.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Americas-identity-crisis.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Americas-identity-crisis.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1180,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/pussy-riot-and-preaching-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":12554,"position":5},"title":"Pussy Riot and Preaching the Gospel","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I've often heard it said that Ukraine is about 3 years behind its big brother Russian when it comes to political changes. \u00a0Unfortunately that statement has been proven on many occasions to be true. \u00a0That is why my antenna go up when I hear what is currently happening in Russian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ukraine&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ukraine","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ukraine-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/pussy-riot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/pussy-riot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/pussy-riot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12554"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12564,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12554\/revisions\/12564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}