Rivka Lazarowitch recollects an incident where she was badly beaten by her Jewish family for reading the Bible and believing in Jesus.
Rivka was born in 1944 to a devout Jewish family and lived in Romania during the communist regime. When she was 18 months old, she became partially paralyzed and had to travel frequently for treatment.
During those travels, she met Adriana, a young Christian girl paralyzed in all her limbs. Adriana spoke to her about Jesus.
In her last year of high school, Rivka was invited by Adriana to her house to celebrate New Year’s Eve. She expected people to be drinking, smoking, dancing, and making merry as usual.
However, upon arrival, she found them reading the Bible and having quiet conversations, very different from what she was accustomed to. This atmosphere deeply appealed to her.
Adriana gave Rivka a copy of the Gospel of John, which she began reading diligently, hiding it within another book. She read it so often that she memorized the first ten chapters. One day, however, her sister discovered the Gospel and tore it to pieces, preventing Rivka from learning more about Jesus.
Rivka also had another Christian classmate named Sephora, whose family owned a complete Bible. Despite knowing the risks, Rivka was overjoyed and asked Sephora to take her to their worship service.
Unfortunately, Rivka encountered her mother at the service. Her mother initially called her back home politely, but once the service ended and they were outside, her mother couldn’t restrain herself and began to hit her.
When Rivka returned home, her father beat her severely, injuring her so badly that she could no longer attend services.
Years later, Rivka’s family obtained passports and moved to Israel. Her parents believed this relocation would prevent her from learning more about the Bible and Jesus.
However, God had other plans. Their new home was situated near several Christian families, enabling Rivka to attend services freely. She was both grateful and overjoyed, remembering the struggles she once faced in her pursuit of worship.
“And I thank God, thank God, thank God for this congregation. Because it really is like family,” she says.
On August 29, 1964, Rivka was baptized in the Sea of Galilee.
“God in His grace showed us the way of salvation. God himself provided the sacrifice, which is Yeshua the Messiah, and in His grace, He has given us faith to believe. He has promised us eternal life. He has really helped me to be independent despite my limitations. With God, everything goes smoothly. Thanks to God,” Rivka declares.
Rivka Lazarowitch has now passed from this world and is with God, standing with Him in glory. Her life and enduring testimony have pointed many others to Jesus Christ.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26-27 (NKJV)
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