Corpses and the Corpus

A few weeks ago our church in Romania had a guest speaker come in. It was a real treat because the visiting pastor was Romanian. This particular week our congregation got a taste of what it's like to have a native Romanian preach the gospel to them, and it seemed to be refreshing for them. It was also a treat for me because I got a glimpse inside how a Romanian pastor views the religious state of his own country. 

The pastor preached from 2 Timothy 3 and emphasized where the passage talks about those who "have a form of godliness, but they deny its power." He said that this perfectly describes the Romanian people. He gave an analogy of a bunch of corpses propped up beside a large campfire. If you went around and touched the corpses, they would feel warm to the touch. They would have this one indication of true life, but on the inside, they would remain as dead as they could possibly be. This, he said, is his people. This is Romania. ​

On paper, Romania is over 90% Christian. They are warmed by the fire which was stoked so long ago, supposedly by the Apostle Andrew himself. But on the inside, most Romanians are spiritually dead. Those aren't my words. They're a Romanian's words. Anecdotally, we can confirm this. We have met many Romanians on the street, most of whom acknowledge that they are Christians. But we have yet to meet a stranger who is a self-proclaimed Christian that attends church or can elaborate on the gospel. They are baptized in the church. They may go to church on Easter and Christmas. They attend funerals and weddings in the church. They have beautiful churches all around them. They are warm to the touch, but they are dead inside. 

We work in Romania because we believe that life comes from God. God brings this life through his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us that the church is his body. And Christ's body - his hands and feet - are what carry the gospel of life. The church is central to the message of the gospel. We are with Mission to the World for this very reason, an organization which emphasizes the centrality of the church. We currently serve at a church in a small town called Codlea where we serve a small congregation of dedicated believers. Right now many in this group are facing difficult personal circumstances. For those of you who have followed our story and know that extended illness has brought us back to the States for a period, you have probably figured out that personal trials seem to be a theme in our church. But God is good. He provides. We pray that through the church universal, God will use us to encourage, edify, and equip those in Comunitatea Crestina Codlea, the church in Romania, to be the hands and feet of Jesus who is the only one that can breathe true life into those who are dead.