Thoughts on Romania - Part 5 - The Message to the Church in Gataia

Opera Square, Timisoara, Romania

Orthodox Church in Opera Square

After a week at camp we were blessed to spend the weekend at the home of Iosif and Lanuta. They live in a suburb of Timisoara. We took the kids to see the Opera Square. (For those history buffs out there, this is where the Romanian Revolution started. Doing a Google search on Opera Square or Revolution Square will bring up some pretty interesting stuff). We talked a lot to Iosif about the revolution and what life was like during that time. We also learned a lot from him of what it was like growing up in a Communist country. It was fascinating!

On Sunday we were blessed to be able to visit our friends in Gataia for a short while. I wish we could have stayed with them longer. Especially since we haven't seen them in 2 years. But, it's just the way things worked out. We attended church in the morning and I had the honor of sharing a message with them. Afterward we got to eat at our favorite cook's house (Thank you Ramona! It is always a treat to visit you!!!) Today I found these videos on Youtube. I think the fact they even exist is odd, but if you want to see what the Romanian countryside (in fall/winter) and the towns look like, here is one way to see it I guess. Here you are able to see a drive through the countryside and some villages. At the 10min12sec mark you'll see Tabor Church on the right hand side. That is where we helped with VBS in 2012 and where we attended church. And here is a drive through Timisoara.

The main reason for my post today was to share the message I shared with our church family in Gataia. So, if you're not interested, I won't be offended if you stop reading now. But here it is...

"Let me start off by saying that I am not a pastor and I am not trained in preaching. All I can share with you is what God has placed on my heart. As I was thinking about what to share with you today, a line from one of my favorite praise songs repeated in my head. It goes like this: 'They will know we are Christians by our love.' This is taken from 1 John 3:10 which says, 'This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.' It is our love for one another that is a testimony of our faith in Christ.

"Brennan Manning, and American author, said that, 'the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable. If this is true, then we are not following what the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:18, 'Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.'

"To be a Christian means to be like Christ. How did Christ love? Did he conform to the traditions of his day? No! His way of showing God's love to others was unique. For example, in Jesus' time, Samaritans were seen as unworthy of God's love, and as people to be avoided. I've seen racism like this in American against African Americans and Mexican Americans. I've also seen racism here in Romania against Gypsies. But when Jesus told his followers to love their neighbors as themselves, he gave them the parable of the Good Samaritan.

"The parable is found in Luke 10:25-37. In the story a man, most likely a Jew, was robbed, beaten and left half dead on the side of the road. His own religious leaders, a priest and a Levite saw him and purposefully avoided him. But a Samaritan took him and cared for him. Jesus used this parable to demonstrate that we are not to love only those like us, but that we are to love and respect others without discrimination.

"Jesus' love was also unique because he loved with grace and mercy. In John 8 we read about the grace and mercy Jesus gave to an adulterous woman. We can all agree that she had sinned. After challenging the Pharisees and the teachers of the law saying, 'If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,' Jesus did something new. instead of giving her the punishment she deserved, he gave her grace. And he gave her mercy by giving her forgiveness she did not earn. If we are to be like Christ, we should also freely give people grace and mercy.

"Jesus' love is unique because he loved his enemies. He knew, before he ever carried his cross, who would be demanding his death upon it. But that did not stop him from preaching the Good News to them. Even when he was dying on the cross, Jesus was asking God to forgive them!

"Jesus was very clear about how we are to treat our enemies. He commanded us to love them unconditionally. Hear what He had to say in Luke 6:27-36.
               27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"By being like Christ, by loving the way Jesus loved, we are teaching others about Him. If we only speak of love, grace, mercy and forgiveness, but do no show it in our lives, we are no better than the Pharisees. And what did Jesus call them? Hypocrites and a brood of vipers! I am sure we can all agree that we do not want Jesus to think of us in such a way!

"Godly love, as demonstrated to us through his son Jesus, can change the world. But it starts with our families. Sometimes our families can be the hardest people to love. But if we love them the way Christ loves us, then they may gain salvation through that love.

"Most importantly we need to teach our children how to be like Christ. Proverbs 22:6 says, 'Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.' Our children will be the future leaders of our churches and our country. They are our most precious resource; priceless treasures given to us by God. If we want them to be successful we must teach them now to love and obey God.

"However, this is not the responsibility of just parents. A church with a strong youth program will see rewards for the growth of the church in years to come. I don't mean just this church, Because the church is not confined within these walls. It is made up of all believers, all over the world.

"One of my fondest memories is our time spent here in the summer of 2012. A team from our church came to help with VBS. I was amazed at the leadership I saw in the youth leaders. I could tell someone had spent time with them helping them to build relationships with one another. It was also obvious that someone had spent time training them how to teach the younger children. It was encouraging to see the potential these teenagers had for being leaders in the church.

"We must not wait until our children are grown to teach them about Jesus. Seventy-five to eighty-five percent of Christians accepted Christ as their savior before their 18th birthday. If we wait to lead kids to Christ we risk losing their souls for eternity. That is why things like VBS, a weekly kids club, Sunday school and camp are so important. These are not just times of enjoyment. It is these activities that reinforce the lessons they are learning at home.

"And for those kids that do not have a good home life, these ministries provide hope. If kids from Gataia know that they have a place that will accept them, they will come back. And when their parents see the changes in them, they may come to church to see what is so special about this place. So by reaching out to the kids in your community, you have the potential to bring whole families into the salvation we have through Jesus Christ.

"We live in a sinful world. But, by living and loving like Christ, we can be the light of life to the broken and hurting people around us. My prayer for you is this: Let every word spoken from your lips and every action of your body be motivated by the love of Christ.

"In closing, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul as found in Romans 19: 9-21.

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.