The Struggle

Here at VOM we tell the stories of persecuted Christians to encourage and embolden our readers in their own faith. Through the lives of persecuted believers around the world, we see that our God is big enough to carry us through the most difficult circumstances a human can face. Through suffering, we learn new insights into the depth of God’s character.

Many of us are awed by the spiritual strength displayed by the persecuted church. And often we cannot relate, or we think those Christians are given some extra spiritual ability to persevere.

 Though that is sometimes the case, not every persecuted Christian endures with joy. Not every persecuted Christian endures faithfully. And not every persecuted Christian endures at all. Although many believers triumphantly suffer, there are some who fail, who give in to fear, who turn their backs on the Lord.

During my recent trip to Cuba, I met a well-known athlete, a university professor and an engineer, all who lost their jobs because of their faith. And yet these men faithfully continue to follow the Lord, often in humble living circumstances. But the person who touched my heart the most was the one who is struggling with persecution for Christ.

Pastor Ramon pastors a small church in a village a few hours from Havana. Town officials have harassed him since the beginning of his ministry. He fought them to be able to build a small church building for his flock. One of the officials told Ramon, “This is a war to the death.” The officials visited the work site to harass, mock and impose heavy fines on him. But Ramon continued to do his work as a pastor.

Finally, officials made up a charge against him (beef trafficking, which is illegal in Cuba) and arrested Ramon. They dragged him to prison, where they stripped him and threw him in a cell with six other men. He soon learned these were the worst criminals in the prison: murderers. He sat on the cold cement floor in his underwear and listened to his cellmates discuss their crimes.

“They saw me as defenseless.… I remember they were saying, ‘I wonder where they got this crazy guy from.’ They couldn’t understand why they had brought me there so late at night in my underwear,” said Ramon.

While he was there, the guards interrogated Ramon day and night. They wanted to know about church finances. Ramon is the national treasurer for his church denomination. The guards wanted to know where the church’s money came from. They wanted to know what ties the church had to the United States.

Outside, Ramon’s worried wife waited. Prison officials told her they could hold Ramon for six months, a year or as long as they wanted.  Finally, after five days, a denomination leader paid his bail, and Ramon was set free. 

The harassment continued. Ramon was followed wherever he went. His phone was tapped and all communication in and out of the church was monitored. Ramon discovered one of his church members was an informant for the state. A policeman confiscated Ramon’s identity papers. 

Up to then, all the persecution had been against Ramon personally. He finally hit his breaking point when it began to affect his children. His daughter is due to graduate in March 2010. She is an A+ student. But because she is a Christian, his daughter does not participate in the political marches or communist activities. In her final year, she was not put on the honor roll. Now she has learned she will not be allowed to graduate. 

“It hurts. It hurts me, because she is my daughter,” said Ramon through tears. “I fear they might do something to my wife and children. That is my fear. I am here now, and I am worried about leaving them alone at my house because if I am not there, they may do something to my daughters. I would prefer that they put me in prison or leave me free or do whatever they want with me.”

When I spoke with him, Ramon was a brokenhearted man. He was scared, and he wanted to leave the country.

Christians aren’t automatically victorious through persecution. When they face persecution, the foundation of how they handle it comes from spiritual preparation beforehand.

VOM Director Tom White often talks about speaking with a group of Iranian Christians. He asked them what it meant to win. They responded enthusiastically, “SALVATION!” These believers knew before they became Christians that following Jesus requires sacrifice. These Iranian believers know that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Either way, because of salvation, they win. Their training and preparation make them ready to face whatever harm may come because of their faith.

In 2 Peter, Peter tells the church that God’s power has given us everything we need for a godly life. Even so, he gives the believers a list of qualities they are to acquire: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. These are the things we need to have in our lives so we are neither “barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” even when undergoing the suffering he talks about in 1 Peter.

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble…” (2 Peter 1:10) When persecution comes, we need to be ready.

Pastor Ramon has been worn down beyond what he can bear on his own. He has not lost his faith, but he has lost his desire to persevere. Please pray that God’s divine power will fill him and enable him to continue sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in Cuba.