Brother Andrew – God’s Ambassador for Over 50 Years
In 1955, a young Dutch missionary went on a group tour to Poland, at that time a part of the Soviet bloc. There he discovered a remnant of the Body of Christ desperately in need of Bibles, support and prayer. Brother Andrew (as he would later be known around the world) distributed a suitcase full of Christian literature … marking the humble beginnings of Open Doors with Brother Andrew.
God’s Smuggler, Brother Andrew’s autobiography chronicling those early years, details dangerous border crossings, KGB pursuits, and his courageous journey toward living radically for Jesus Christ. The international bestseller has made a tremendous impact on Christians in the West. Through the book and the work of the Holy Spirit, Brother Andrew’s small Dutch mission became an international ministry with offices in 27 countries, working in more than 60 countries to strengthen the Persecuted Church.
It is estimated Brother Andrew has visited 125 countries in his travels to preach and befriend those in need. During his trips, he said he never had a Bible confiscated and was only arrested three times. He often quotes Revelation 3:2 as the text for his messages delivered around the globe: “Wake Up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die.”
Brother Andrew feels passionately that the rapid spread of Islam could be, by far, the greatest challenge that the Christian Church worldwide has yet faced. His friendships and the love of God have taken Brother Andrew into private meetings with leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. He is among the few Western leaders to regularly travel to the Middle East as an ambassador for Christ to these groups. He has also broken Christian religious barriers by preaching in Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches.
He often has said, “Our very mission is called ‘Open Doors’ because we believe that any door is open, anytime and anywhere. I literally believe that. Every door is open to go in and proclaim Christ, as long as you are willing to go and are not worried about coming back.”
Brother Andrew’s work through Open Doors has led the organization into places where most Christians are unwilling to go. His underground network of Christians has aided in the secret distribution of millions of Bibles each year. Open Doors trains thousands of Christian pastors and lay leaders through seminaries and persecution seminars, and assists in economic relief, literacy training, and vocational training in the most dangerous countries in the world.
The story of Brother Andrew’s ministry in the Middle East is told in his book Light Force, co-authored with Al Janssen. He also has written ten other books, including The Calling, which reveals his secrets for ministry, illustrated by his experiences over 30-plus years in countries like China, Sudan, and Cuba.
Brother Andrew and Janssen have written a new book called Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ (Revell). The book has incredible stories of Muslims who have come to Christ and their struggle to survive in repressive lands. It is available from the Open Doors online store.
In 1994, Brother Andrew was knighted by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands. In 1997, he was the recipient of the World Evangelical Fellowship’s Religious Liberty Award, recognizing his lifetime of service to the Persecuted Church and passion for spreading the gospel.
One more honor that Andrew is proud of is that after the fall of the Iron Curtain, he obtained copies of the KGB reports numbering more than 150 pages about his work in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. He was surprised that they knew so much about him yet were not able to stop his work.
Brother Andrew and his wife, Corrie, live in Holland and have five children and eight grandchildren.
Inspiring – This is what Brother Andrew’s life is to me. But to thousands of lives he means hope, warming cold hearts and strengthening fearing minds.
May Lord Jesus bless him.
Shalom,
Rodrigo
Dear Brother Andrew- My mom and I just finished reading a book about your life called “Brother Andrew-God’s Secret Agent” by Janet and Geoff Benge (YWAM Publishers). I am in 4th grade and am homeschooled. We are so happy that we can email you and tell you that you have inspired our family with your life. On Monday I will share about you at my homschool group when we give our presentations. Here in Chicago where we live, we help a refugee ministry called “Exodus World Service” e-w-s.org. Have you heard about it? They have helped many different families from around the world to get a fresh start in the USA. These days we are helping a family from the Congo.
Vince says-Hi, you sound like a nice man. It is cool that you
smuggled bibles across the Iron Curtain! When I grow up I want to be aMarine soldier for God.
God Bless you and keep you, Caryl and Vince Curletta
what church does Brother Andrew go in Netherlands
near his home ?
that is aLL.
I understand that he is a Baptist.
signed: christopher neal passonneau
cristpassa@yahoo.com
Dear Brother Andrew,
I am eleven years old and am homeschooled. My mom and I just finished reading “Brother Andrew-God’s Secret Agent” by YWAM publishers. It was a very inspiring book. One of our favorite parts was when you were going into Yugoslavia for the first time in the blue Volkswagen and were praying that God would blind the guards to not see the Bibles. You started a conversation with one of them about the weather and soon everyone was more concerned about the weather than what you had in your car! Cool!
We had read Corre Ten Boom’s biography just before yours and discovered that you both lived in Haarlem about the same time. Did you ever get to meet Corre Ten Boom?
Was your wife named after her?
We live in Massachusetts, USA, but next week we are going to GAIN(Global Aid Network) in Pennsylvania. We help sort clothes, seeds, and toys for needy families overseas. The things we sorted last year went to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. I am excited to go back this year.
Thank you for all your work and I hope I can hear God like you did.
Your friend,
Micah
Thank you for the comment! It is so wonderful to hear that you were able to read this. Brother Andrew and Corrie Ten Boom were good friends. We have a picture of them up in our office. It is so wonderful to hear about what you are doing to help people around the world. Blessings to you!