Friday's are great days to minister in Romania

The meetings last night were a blessing. I had an opportunity to meet with the candidates for baptism before the service. Each counts it a joy to follow the Lord in believers baptism. Although I did not ask her age, I beleive the oldest to be in her 70's...the youngest is a teenager. In fact, one of the three teens accepted Christ during our March evangelistic meetings when the WorldReach team included seniors and parents from Prince Avenue Christian School.

Tonight we will be in three different meetings. Brother Mike Maxey will attend a youth meeting, Brother Daryl McMann will attend a young married couples meeting, and I will be at an evangelistic meeting in the village of Domnin.

Tomorrow morning we will attend an area wide missions conference. I was asked to speak at the conference, but will choose to use the time to interview Mike and Daryl regarding their involvment in missions. It will be good for the pastors to hear from these two men who have a heart for the world. It is great commission Christians like Mike and Daryl that build great commission churches!

We ask that you pray for us as we continue our ministry. Pastor Teofil Mihoc - Jibou Baptist Church - has been fighting an infection for the past month, and it has worsened in the last few days. Please pray specifically for his healing.

All for this update. We continue to covet your prayers as you partner with us to reach the Romanian people with the gospel.

It's Thursday, so this must be Romania

Wow - it seems like we just left Atlanta yesterday. But we have been in Romania for two days and already we see God at work. Last night at evangelistic meetings the gospel was proclaimed, and people came to repentence. It is always a joy to see people come to understand the love of God and His provision for them through His Son Christ Jesus.

One of our team members is teaching at Emanuel University - Oradea. It is the largest evangelical university on the European continent. He is teaching in the Business school and will join us here in Jibou on Friday. With the "interesting" economic times worldwide, he will be bringing a real world perspective from his background in investment advising to these students.

In preparation for a big baptismal service this Sunday, we spent this morning and part of the afternoon going throughout Jibou and handing out gospel tracts and invitations to attend the baptismal ceremony. For Romanians, baptism is a very big event. It attracts many non-believers. So it is an excellent time to preach the gospel.

Tonight in Jibou we will have an evangelistic service, combined with a time of hearing testimonies of the seven people who will be baptized this Sunday. We expect there to be many non-believers at this service. Each baptismal candidate will be publically sharing how they came to faith in Christ. Please pray that God will use their testimony to stir the hearts of those who need to be saved.

We appreciate every prayer that you offer up to the Lord for our ministry here, as you partner with us to reach the Romanian people with the gospel. Look for updates by checking back regularly or subscribing to our RSS feed.

All for now from Jibou, Romania.

Romania mission team requests your prayers

On Monday October 27 a WorldReach team will travel to Romania. They will be working on the campus of Emanuel University and Seminary in Oradea, and alongside the brothers and sisters of Jibou Baptist Church.

While on the campus in Oradea, guest lectures will be made within the Business school. We have been partnering with Emanuel since 1999, and have seen God using the men and women graduates in ministry and church leadership around the world.

Likewise, our partnership in Jibou began in 1999. We have seen new churches planted, bible studies started, many people receive Christ as Savior, discipleship strengthened, leaders developed, people called into full time ministry, and God working in the lives of people to transform them, their families, and their communities.

While there, we will finalize the establishment of a new campus for the WorldReach Bible Institute. Pastor Teofil Mihoc of Jibou Baptist Church is very familiar with the Bible Training Centre for Pastors/Church Leaders curriculum and will be the Dean of our Jibou campus. He has shown himself obedient to "equip the saints for service" and has a heart to see people transformed by God's word.

Please pray for the team as they go, and pray for all those who will be touched with the truth of the gospel there in Romania. Also, blog updates will be made as frequent as possible, so check back frequently...or better yet, subscribe to our RSS feed.

Thanks for your participation in this trip by reaching Romanian hearts with your prayers.

Responding to Economic Uncertainty—Looking Up When Things are Going Down

The past week includes some of the most striking news in the economic history of this country and even the world. Who would have expected that the markets would be in turmoil and that banks would be struggling the way they are? Government bailouts and corporate mergers are the talk of the day. These times have affected everyone to some degree.

As a believer, we know we are stewards of God’s things so why worry? In Him is the assurance we need. Happiness is not based on what we have and do but rather on who we are in Christ. We keep telling ourselves these things during tough times, however the uneasiness creeps in. What are some practical things to do now to help us respond to the economic uncertainty we see?

1. Resist the urge to compartmentalize. Compartmentalization leads to reliance on self rather than reliance on our Lord. If you take all of the areas of life, i.e. family, finances, jobs, hobbies, church, friends, there is a tendency to keep some of these areas separate from the others. It is like we are not an integrated whole. When we place all these things with Christ at the center, then we move away from compartmentalization and see our lives as integrated wholes in Christ. Finances probably fall into the compartmentalization problem more than others just by its nature. Resist the tendency and lean on the Everlasting Arms.

2. Focus on the attributes of God. I have been so encouraged by reading through passages of Scripture referring to the attributes of God. Our God is faithful, He is love, He is truth, He is good, He is wise, He is omnipotent, He is omniscient, and He is patient. Because of who He is, we have stability, we have certainty, we have hope, and we have assurance. I would encourage anyone to take time to go through key passages in the Bible and rest in knowing that we serve a God who truly cares for us as we face the issues of the day. As Psalm 121:1-2 expresses, “. . . where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

3. Give yourself first. This may sound simple. I recommend keeping it simple. Reach out to others during this time and give of yourself. Fellowship and sharing are good for the soul. We need more of this during times like these. Also, give yourself first to the Lord before you stress over stewardship issues. Just like the Macedonians that Paul commended in 2 Corinthians 8:5, they gave themselves first to the Lord and this undergirded their generosity in all matters. Uncertainty fades away when we know others are experiencing similar things.

4. Remind yourself where your devotion is. I always say, “when you love, you give.” This is an underlying stewardship principle. Don’t stop giving in troubled times. Find ways to give. Giving expresses devotion, trust, reliance, honor, dependence, and gratitude to the Lord. This is not the time to argue about topics like tithing. Merely give and show your devotion to He who is greater than all these things.

This list could go on and I would encourage you to personalize your list of ways to combat the uncertainty of today’s economy. Make the list, and then put it into practice!