A MISSIONARY was called to preach the gospel of Christ in the old colonial city of Potosi, Bolivia. He suffered much persecution in those early days and tells the interesting story of how the Lord once graciously delivered him from prison.
He had rented two bare rooms in a two story building on one of the cobbled streets of the city. The lower flat was occupied by a colonel and his wife and four children. The colonel, who was boss of the southern army, became friendly to the missionary and listened attentively when he spoke to him of the gospel of Christ.
The missionary used to preach the gospel on the steps of the Liberty Statue in the main square every Sunday afternoon, and occasionally the colonel called him aside and warned him of coming violence from the police, if he did not refrain from preaching in the square. He thanked the colonel, but as liberty of worship was the constitution of the land, he felt he would rather suffer persecution than give up the privilege of making known the story of Jesus and His love.
Sure enough, the persecution ban. The missionary had just fished preaching when a police offer intervened. Drawing a sword he ordered the missionary to march. He questioned the officer as to why he was arrested without an order from the judge, but the only reply was a more harsh order to march immediately. He was taken to the police station and turned over to one of the guards who roughly shoved him into the inner prison. The old stone prison, with its massive iron gates and doors was built by the Spaniards 400 years before. Thousands of political prisoners had been held within its walls and many of them died there. The cell where the missionary was put was a cold bleak room with just a small hole in the wall through which some light filtered; no bed, and no food.
Never will the missionary forget the feeling when the huge steel door closed behind him. But falling on his knees he prayed: “Lord Jesus, I’m not a prisoner of this state, but a prisoner of Thine. Thou alone canst free Thy servant from this dungeon. Thou didst deliver Peter, and Thou canst deliver me.” There was little hope of help or deliverance from man, but then the Lord lives. Praise His name! He spent the night on the cold floor of his cell, with nothing to eat.
But God was watching over His dear servant and had prepared an instrument for his rescue. The colonel evidently had missed his friend, and went straight to the police office. And being told where the missionary was, he ordered him to be brought out of prison immediately. So it was he was brought up from his cell to the office of the chief of police and, to his surprise, who should he find waiting there, but the colonel himself. “What are you doing here?” he asked, then turning to the chief of police he demanded, “Why was this man arrested? What has he done?”
All the chief could reply was: “This man is a perverter of the peace of this city, and he has to be expelled from the country. He is a trouble-maker and opposed to the government of this country” — all of which was false. The colonel however, took things into his own hands and going over the head of the chief of police, he said to the missionary, “You go straight home to your room and I shall look after you.” He thankfully did, and he ordered a guard to watch when he went out and came in. The guard was also present at the gospel preaching in order to report to the colonel. The poor missionary expressed his profound gratitude to his friend for his faithful care of Time passed, and then someone told the missionary that a high official of the Church was behind the accusation against him, and that it was he who had used the police to rid the city of him. On hearing this, the missionary and some believers prayed to the Lord that He might graciously pardon the man, and convict him of his need of a Saviour. They continued in prayer for him for some time, requesting that he might not sleep or rest until he found peace in believing.
Then there was a revolution, in which this same Church dignitary took a leading part, and he was promoted and transferred to another state. But conscience was at work in his soul and it was just here the Lord proved that He hears and answers prayer. Within two years that same Church official and persecutor had turned to Christ. The Lord had shown him mercy and saved him from his sins. His old friends and associates tried to win him back, but all in vain. He had found Christ as His Saviour; he was happy, and he was free. Persecution broke out against him, and finally he had to leave the country.
How wonderful is the grace of God. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:3232And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32). And he is free indeed whom the truth has made free. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” verse 36.
ML-11/21/1971