Pastor Jay //

I was speaking with one of the men in our church that has only been a Christian for a few years. He mentioned a philosophy of right and wrong called “situational ethics.” I was impressed! This theory was developed by an Episcopalian priest, Joseph Fletcher, in the 1960s. The foundational idea is that right and wrong is to be based upon unconditional love – “the only thing of intrinsic value.” Situational ethics is therefore the philosophy where “the morality of an act is a function of the state of the system at the time it is performed.” Unfortunately, Fletcher used his ideas to promote abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and cloning. Eventually, he renounced his faith and became and atheist. (http://www.wikipedia.org/) His life is an example of good intentions, based on false beliefs leading to bad theology. He intended to keep God’s love central, but, by rejecting clear Biblical concepts, he ended up with faith in his own logic instead of faith in God. Situational ethics puts humans in the place of making God-sized decisions about life and death. 

The man I was speaking to in our church was correct in his assessment of “situational ethics.” He said that it caused people to believe that “what’s good for the goose, isn’t always good for the gander.” If right and wrong depends on the situation, then lying is fine in some situations – not to mention stealing, murder, etc. This is what leads juries to acquit mothers who drown their 5 children, allows geneticists to manipulate and clone human DNA; and opens the door for churches to advocated deviant lifestyles. God’s Word teaches us the Truth. When we ignore the Truth of God’s Word, we begin writing our own brand of truth. 

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 

There is another Truth from God’s Word. It is grace. Grace is extremely expensive for God and wonderfully free for us. 

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24   

 

 

When I need to be reminded of our primary task… I just pull out this little reminder. Last year, during one of the LabQuest nights in Awana, I couldn’t find paper fast enought to write down the names of the children who came forward to accept Christ. This board (pictured above with Steve holding it) was one of the props we used during the evening, so I grabbed it and wrote down the names. There are twenty-one (21) names on this board. Several of them have now been baptized. On the other side of this board are holes where nails had been hammered in that evening. The nails represented our sin and the holes represent the scars that sin leaves in our lives. The nails were removed and placed on the Cross reminding us that Jesus takes our sin which he bore in his body on the tree (”He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” 1 Peter 2:24).

As you may know, since that time, our church has had to look evil in the face and stand our ground. We are obviously dangerous to the enemy. Fortunately, although we have different opinions about how to deal with it, we all desire the same thing. We can get to the other side of this together. Let’s make sure we continue to stand together and remember “why we do what we do.” It is a matter of life and death - eternally.

 

This has been an amazing year for leading people to Christ. I just received a report of the statistics for our church this last year. I am thrilled to report to you that we had 45 baptisms since July of last year! In fact, 33 of these baptisms occured as a direct result of our Awana program. There were twenty-six children baptized between the ages of 6-11, and nine between the ages of 12-17. The remaining ten people included four in the 30-59 age category and three in the 60 and up category. God is good. Last year I asked the church to accept a challenge to see 50 people baptized in a year. God is helping us make that a reality. There is still much more work to be done. We have a whole new year ahead.

Please consider being a part of our FAITH evangelism strategy. We will begin sessions on Sunday afternoons starting September 10. We will train you how to talk to people that are ready to receive God’s free gift of salvation.

Here is a tale of two very different reactions. In the picture you see me with two Romanian youth.

This picture was taken on our third of four days in Zone 9. On the left is a young man named Ion and I don’t have the name of the one on the right. The boy on the right was one of the first street contacts we made on Monday. He had been riding his bike and, I believe, had even listened to an entire gospel presentation on that first day. Ion [mentioned earlier, see Wednesday Evening post] however, was very interested and invited us to do a study in his home. We returned the next day.

The point is that Ion was receptive and interested. In fact, Mihai and he had a lot of things in common and will probably be able to continue studying the lessons together. However, the other younger one on the right said, “don’t waste your time with me.”

The incredible thing is that there was no time wasted on anyone. Even when we spent time talking to someone that did not respond positively, it was obvious that God used that time to make sure we were in the right place for the next encounter. It was all God’s time. He had the authority to use it however He wished.

It is a simple strategy.

1. Locate One Zone
2. Find One Person
3. Ask One Question
4. Do One Lesson
5. Start One Group

This was our strategy. There are many teams that go on mission trips, but often the most difficult part of a mission trip is the sad fact that there is a disconnect after the group leaves. The work that was begun - ends. This strategy has follow-up built right into the process. Let me explain:

On Monday morning after we arrived, we teamed up with Romanian church members who could share their faith and could translate.

We met them at the local grocery store in Zone 9 and teamed up in groups of 2-3. As we left this area and moved into the streets we began watching for people to talk with. That’s when we ran into Mihai.

Mihai had actually attending Holy Trinity Baptist Church for the first time the day before this picture was taken. By the next day, Mihai was going with us into the streets and sharing his testimony (he had accepted Christ in prison one month earlier).  He took us to his home:

We had a lesson with his family.

Mihai also attended a lesson in another home.

This home is the residence of the lady on the left. Her friend of 14 years is next, then Mihai and myself. The two ladies have been having a Bible study following the Church Starts International lessons called “People Who Knew Jesus.” This particular lesson is lesson 5 on Nicodemus. Tonight she is presented with the gospel for the first time and accepts God’s free gift of eternal life right there in her own living room. Mihai was in tears and shared his own story of salvation. The friend next to her will continue the studies and bring her to church at some point.

Back to Mihai’s family. My translator’s name is also Mihai. He will return to do the next lesson with the family and continue to build the relationship until they also reach lesson 5 and hear the invitation to invite Christ as their Savior and Lord.

The work of the mission team is simply to begin these home Bible studies or assist in continuing them. Having the Romanians there helps to insure that the work will continue after we leave.

Galati, Romania is a city of more than 330,000 people. It is situated on the Danube River. The Danube originates in Northern Europe and travels through several countries. It forms the Southern and Western border of Romania, crosses the SW corner and takes a sharp turn at Galati to the Black Sea Delta region.

 This is a view of the Danube from Zone 9 in the southern part of the city facing generally North. Our hotel is located along this river near the top of the s shaped road in the center of the picture.

 

As you consider how vast the city is you begin to realize the difficulty of deciding exactly where to begin in such a large place. Troy [IMB Missionary to Romania] has taught us, as we follow his lead, to divide the city in parts (zones) and then focus on one zone at a time. The plan is to

1. Spend time prayer-walking that zone (pick one area)
2. Then meeting individuals on the street in evangelism (find one person)
3. Ask one question (Share Jesus without Fear question)
4. Do one Bible lesson (People Who Knew Jesus - CSI)
5. Start one group (small group)

More about this plan next….