Following the passing of Dutch missionary Anne van der Bijl, we wanted to highlight some of his conversations with Christianity Today over the years.
Van der Bijl, called Brother Andrew, was known for serving areas of the world considered closed to Christian ministry. He started by smuggling Bibles into the Soviet Union, giving him the nickname and title for his book God’s Smuggler. He went on to found the ministry Open Doors, which aids Christians facing persecution.
His work in the mission field focused on going, seeing, and hearing. When CT asked about his hope for Christians facing terrorist violence in the Middle East, he responded:
We are fearful because we stay home and prepare for the worst to come, because we think that’s what they are planning. That may be true, but it’s because of our inactivity. The moment we take the offensive and plan to go there, we lose our fear. That’s very scriptural. I’m not a bit afraid of them. I feel completely at home. I hope to be back there very soon. If I knew I could do something constructive, I’d be there tomorrow.
From the Soviet Union to the Middle East, Brother Andrew put God at the center of what were thought to be closed doors.
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