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Beacons of light
One by one, Romanians are turning their lives away from sin
and their hearts towards God. Bible League-trained Christians
are sharing their faith throughout the country, and miraculous
changes are taking place.
Hundreds of Bible League-trained church planters are laboring
in locations all across Romania, and more are being added all
the time. Says the Director of Ministries in Romania, “The
presence of the ministers in all these locations—spreading
the Gospel—brought many souls to the light out of the
darkness of ignorance, the lack of knowledge of God, and out
of the bondage of Satan.”
Spiritual warfare
For many Romanian church planters, it’s an uphill battle
in reaching their community with the love of Christ. Although
millions of Romanians call themselves “Christians” since
they have grown up in the Orthodox Church, only 2.4% of Orthodox
believers actively practice their faith.
What’s more, some Romanian Orthodox churches are resistant
to allowing other denominations within their “territory.” In
the past, Romanians paid priests for all kinds of ceremonies—marriages,
burials, baptisms. Therefore, for a priest to relinquish control
is not just to lose church members, but also a source of income.
Not all Romanian Orthodox priests harbor hard feelings. But
those who do often make it difficult for church planters to
establish new churches. In some cases, religious leaders stir
up vicious rumors about evangelicals, create obstacles for
registering new churches, or withhold communal benefits from
believers. (To read the story of one church planter who faced
extreme opposition, click
here.)
Gates have not prevailed
However, such opposition has not stopped God’s kingdom
from advancing. According to the Director of Ministries in
Romania, Bible League-trained church planters continue to press
on in sharing their faith. He says, “Despite
the opposition and the hardships of this spiritual warfare,
we praise God for all His workers that succeeded in planting
many churches.”
Armed with prayer
Please remember Romanian Christians and church planters in
your prayers. God is not intimidated by opposition, and is
seeking to reach the hearts of unbelievers. Pray that Romanian
Christians will have the courage to persevere through times
of hardship.
Pray also for the Orthodox Church in Romania. Pray that God
will open the eyes of those priests who have been blinded by
bitterness so that they will use their positions of leadership
for spiritual growth among their congregations.
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“He yelled a final threat, ‘If you come again,
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Romania