Crazy for Jesus

“If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.” 2 Corinthians 5:13, NIV.

Sister Da Dan* knew that her country’s government was opposed to Christianity, but she also knew that there were millions of her people living without God within her homeland. She decided to bring in cassette tapes and videotapes of Bible stories in her heart language to share with the people. She brought in shortwave radios to broadcast Christian messages.

As people came to faith she hand picked several of her most promising contacts and brought them out to a neighboring country for training. One of these students was very bold in his witness. Before long the police picked him up. Under intense interrogation and beating the man told the police that Sister Da Dan was the leader of his group.

Shortly after that she was arrested and brought in for interrogation. While they never hit her their questioning went on from early morning till late night for three days straight. Sister Da Dan was not allowed to move during interrogation and was given very little to eat.

At one point she was surrounded by eight police officers. One said, “You are causing me headaches – I have not been able to sleep for staying up all night listening to the tapes you brought in.”

Another officer who had listened to the tapes admitted that the messages easily opened the heart. A third officer complained of having to stay up all night outside Sister Da Dan’s cell, but all she did was sing to her God.

At the end of their interrogation the police released her after giving her a large fine for spreading the gospel. She also had to appear before 250 people from her village to read a prepared statement meant to publicly humiliate her.

Hundreds of intercessors where asked to pray for boldness for Sister Da Dan before her public shaming. She appeared before the crowd at the set date and calmly read the statement. But at the end she said, “This is the true religion, and Jesus is the true God who can save.”

The police jumped up and shouted, “You can’t say that!” Sister Da Dan braced herself to be hit, but no blows came. Instead she was released. She was filled with joy to overflowing. The Holy Spirit caused her sing at the top of her lungs out of joy and peace that she had pleased God with her boldness.

One of her neighbors heard her singing and said, “The police have harassed her so much that she has gone crazy!”

*Names changed for security reasons. Sister Da Dan is not pictured in this article.

Pray that:

Believers like Sister Da Dan will remain steadfast in the face of persecution and that many of her people will respond to the gospel she is spreading.

The police officers who are directed to persecute followers of Jesus will become followers themselves.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.