Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Turn To Christ? (2007) by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen, Book Review

My first introduction to the late Andrew van der Bijl or better known as Brother Andrew (1982-2022) was through his life-changing autobiography, God’s Smuggler. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you get a copy and read it before you die. In it, he told the story of how he became a Christ follower and was inspired to smuggle Bibles into Communist Eastern Europe to the persecuted underground churches. It was the start of a great adventure. His famous prayer has been my personal prayer too whenever I entered places where I shouldn’t be to share the Gospel with the not-yet-believers: “Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture I want to take to Your children. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.” After the Iron Curtain collapse in Europe, Brother Andrew began to expand his ministry to Islamic nations, especially aiming at radical Islam. “We cannot win the war on terror with guns and bombs because everyone we kill is replaced by dozens more who seek revenge,” said Andrew, “The only answer is a total, radical commitment to Jesus Christ.”

Secret Believers is the next important book by Brother Andrew - and Al Janssen - in my estimation. Part 1 tells exciting yet terrifying true stories about men and women who are born as Muslims in strict Islamic states in the Middle East who have chosen - or rather, chosen by the living God of the Bible - to be the followers of Jesus Messiah, Lord, and Saviour. They are called Muslim Background Believers (MBB). The inner joy, living faith, glorious grace, inward freedom, and eternal life that they found in Jesus are not without their external costs and consequences. The Scripture clearly says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). The MBB worships Jesus daily, and at the same time suffer persecution daily. The stories of Ahmed, Mustafa (killed), Hassan (killed), Kareem, Abuna, Brutos, Nadira, Salima, Layla (abducted and raped), etc. touched my heart, warmed my soul, challenged my faith, and resolved my mind. I was even moved to tears when I read about their situations. Sometimes my anger would arouse due to the injustice done by their own families, communities, and authorities, inhuman treatments, and killing that were done in the name of God (John 16:2b says, “…the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service”). But how the characters engaged with their challenges remind me of Christ’s love for the lost people. “Don’t curse the darkness but light a candle.”

Part 2 of this book is worth the price. Here Brother Andrew presents some Biblical principles, thoughts, and questions on how to respond to the challenge of Islam. “I believe the story you have just read presents us with four challenges,” explains Andrew, “to love all Muslims by giving them the Good News, to forgive when we’re attacked, to live lives totally committed to Jesus Christ, and to engage in the real war - the spiritual war.” These are very difficult challenges because it is very counter-intuitive to human nature. That’s why we need the grace, faith, and love of Jesus. Only He can create in us a new nature to love our enemies and forgive the way He does. As one of the MBBs said to Al Janssen: “Don’t bring Hollywood; bring Christ. Don’t bring power. Don’t bring just your money. Bring love. Bring the kingdom.” Amen!

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #SecretBelievers #TurnToChrist #TheLoveOfChrist #Evangelism #GoodNews #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Book Review: Brother Andrew, God’s Undercover Agent (1999) by Alan Millwright

Brother Andrew: God’s Undercover Agent (1999) by Alan Millwright

I’ve seen his book before, God’s Smuggler (1970), but always said, Someday, someday, I’ll read it. It’s been many years since – hundreds of books later – I finally read Brother Andrew’s biography and surely I’m gonna find and buy or borrow God’s Smuggler. What a life!

Andy van der Bijl, who became known as Brother Andrew, was born in 1928 the son of a deaf father and a religious mother. Andrew was the third of six children and they lived in the smallest house in the village of Witte in the Netherlands. Andy believes in the existence of God, but he doubts God’s goodness. Many times he asked God why He lets his brother Bass, handicapped, died.

When he was young he was rebellious, mischievous, and dreamt of adventure. During World War II, when Germany invaded, Andrew amused himself by playing pranks on the occupying troops. Soon he became an informer. Then joined the Dutch army and became a notorious commando. Andy and his friends have this motto while going to war: “get smart – lose your mind.”

As a soldier, Andy killed people. He was a drunkard too. Then in one of the combat battles, he get a shot in the ankle… his time in the army came to an abrupt end. While he was in the hospital, with nothing to do, he read the Bible that his mother gave to him before he joined the army. He was amazed and surprised by the Bible he never read before. He became curious but he still have his doubts. Only when he returned home, he developed a thirst for God. He went to Christian meetings and would read his Bible over and over again until one day he prayed: “Lord if You will show me the way, I will follow You. Amen.”

And what happened in between you got to read his biography for yourself. His (bad) past doesn’t become his stumbling block, rather, it becomes his “training ground” for what God has equipped him to do in the future. “Equipped with a fearlessness honed in the Dutch Underground and the post-war jungles of the Dutch East Indies and trust in God that nothing is impossible, Andy became one of the first westerners to evangelize behind the Iron Curtain. And as more doors to Eastern Europe began to open, Andy, now known as Brother Andrew, knew God’s purpose for his life: to deliver Bibles to people everywhere in the world who are starved for His Word!”

On his first mission as God’s smuggler, when he wants to smuggle the Bible, he was stopped by Communist armies stationed at the border of Yugoslavia. There he prayed his famous prayer: “Lord, in my luggage I have Scriptures that I want to take to Your children across the border. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.” You know what? The armies checked all over his car and they didn’t see anything suspicious! This and many more miracles, how God protects Andy and his friends from smuggling Bibles to Communist countries and even Muslim countries – the Persecuted Church – become a norm for them. God continues to work thru Open Doors International founded by Andy or now known as Brother Andrew.

Four (4) quotes from Brother Andrew that give encouragement and challenge me in my Christian faith:

#1 “The bigger the darkness, the easier it is to spot your little light.”

#2 “Of course it’s dangerous. But it’s a lot more dangerous for all of us if we don’t do it. Even in a conquering army, there are casualties. Safety is not the issue when we look at the Great Commission. The purpose of the church cannot be to survive, or even to thrive, but to serve.”

#3 “Christians need a new filling of the Holy Spirit to love those who disagree with them. And the greatest expression of love is to share with them the most precious thing a Christian has, which is the good news of the salvation of Jesus Christ.”

#4 “God does not choose people because of their ability, but because of their availability.”

Please, please, get to know this man of God.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.