Rooted, Grounded, and Plugged In: My Article on Albanian Youth Ministry in "Modern Reformation"

This month's issue of "Modern Reformation" magazine just published my article on youth ministry in Albania, based on my missions trips and follow-up with teenagers there over the last couple of years. Enjoy!

Open publication - Free publishing - More albania

"Jesus Daily" Seems to Be Another Jesus...

A few months back, I posted a "defense" of Facebook and social media, from the perspective that Internet and technology in general can be used for productive things....most notably, evangelism and discipleship. I shared about the girls who came to the Lord after discussing their questions and budding faith with me via Facebook chat. (I have an article coming out in the May/June issue of "Modern Reformation" magazine about how short-term missions can really count long-term in this age of online communications.)

Well, today, I would like to introduce you to one of the most visible downsides of "Facebook evangelism" - Facebook Jesus.

"Jesus Daily" is some sort of devotional Christian group, which posts status updates in the first person...as if coming personally from Jesus Christ. Probably half the Christians I know are subscribed (I "Liked" after seeing several of my "Albania Kids" subscribing, more out of curiosity than anything else. I do not rely on Facebook for spiritual edification or theological instruction, in case you are wondering.)

This "Jesus" seems big on "Friend suggesting" Himself to your Facebook friends. (Cringe). "Friend suggesting" Jesus seems to be symbolic of everything that's wrong with modern evangelism, in a manner of speaking.

A sampling of the "wisdom" coming from "Jesus" in the last few days:

YOU AND I CAN DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER! Remember when I promised you, "With God all things are possible"? Well I was serious. What problem do we need to work on today? Like or type Yes if you believe My Words.

DO YOU GIVE ME YOUR PROBLEMS TODAY? I'LL SOLVE THEM.

(This demands some comment -- since when do we share the Gospel with people, promising that Jesus will solve all their problems?? This is a dangerous half-truth.)

I am significant in Christ!
I am a Citizen of Heaven!
I am free forever from condemnation!
I am free from any charge against me!
I am assured all things work together for good!
I cannot be separated from the love of God!
Write an "Amen" if you can or LIKE to agree!

All about "me", huh? Not that these statements are entirely untrue -- but they are man-centric rather than Christ-centered. We live not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify CHRIST. Like many modern "praise" songs, the object is self, rather than God.

I KNOW YOU MADE A MESS. I'M READY TO FIX IT.

Umm....this one needs no comment.

CHRIST is our BEST medicine!!! LIKE if you agree then read about Natural Cures from God's Pharmacy...PLEASE SHARE to bless others!

(It then links to a site entitled "Natural Cures from God's Pharmacy".) Sounds like a late-night info-mercial.

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!!!

A little context here would be helpful...does this mean that if I ask for a Porsche, I will receive it? Smacks of "Prosperity Gospel", does it not?

Moral of the story: if you want to hear from the Lord Jesus, open your Bible. You're probably not going to hear from Him on Facebook. Social media is a tool to be used wisely in sharing the Truth, but not by telling the masses soothing, positive words devoid of any context.

In Defense of Facebook....

The last couple of years have seen several high-profile pastors, primarily from the FIC stream, decrying the evils of Facebook and its use. Frankly, some of their concerns are well-founded: the excessive time spent online by many Christians is poor stewardship; also, many marriages have hit the rocks because of the temptations offered by "social networking". (Looking up and connecting with old flames is a bad idea, folks, even in cyber-space). Additionally, Facebook seems to have changed the way the younger generation (and their parents) view friendship - we've become yet more isolated as we reduce social communication to comments in boxes. As with many things, social networking sites have their downside.

However, the fact remains that if used wisely, Facebook (in particular) is an ideal evangelism tool.

Ten years ago, if you had told me I could show an article on the Trinity - in Bulgarian - to 25 (or so) of my non-Christian friends in Sofia - simultaneously - I would have wondered what you were smoking. Sharing a link on Facebook affords one the opportunity to engage in (online) discussion - or not. It is a more subtle (and less threatening) way of sharing doctrinal truth than, say, initiating a discussion with your best friend's brother at the Fourth of July cookout (and seeing that he is visibly uncomfortable). There are those who will read an article in the privacy of their own home, and even months after the fact ask you about it. A shared link is low pressure; there's no awkwardness. Not interested? Don't click. But truth is there for the taking - and I'll be happy to make it available.

In fact, there are many ways of sharing biblical principles on Facebook, but it's invention offers something actually far better: a way to stay in touch with far-flung people after you have met and built relationships with them. This is exactly how I have seen two young women come to Christ in the last 8 weeks.

In late August, I served in Albania at an evangelical summer camp for teenagers. It was a lot of fun, quite frankly, and I became quite close to a number of the kids - who, predictably, "Friended" me on Facebook. Two weeks after returning home, one of the 17-year-old girls (who comes from a family openly hostile to religion in general and Christianity in particular) initiated chats with me. She had many questions about grace, belief in Christ, and the afterlife. In addition to sending her links from the gotquestions.org site which dealt with Gospel fundamentals (in both Albanian and English), I explained to her how she could know Christ and what regeneration is. She turned to Him in her heart; went to church the next week, and is now a devout follower of Christ - despite the fact she has no discipleship and virtually no fellowship in her hometown.

Last week, another one of the teen girls - who had been discussing college applications and the upcoming TOEFL exam with me - suddenly switched gears mid-way through a Facebook chat. "Marie...can I ask you a favor?" she typed. "Can you teach me to pray?" Naturally, this led to an in-depth discussion about how we can be in relationship with God - through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Thanks to the British church-planting team (under whose auspices I served in Albania), she already knew a lot about the Person and work of Christ. She just needed help connecting the dots, and the assurance that she could be His child. She wrote, "i feel the necessity to believe on Him..." I have never witnessed such a sincere hunger and desire to know God as I did during that impassioned "chat", nor such spontaneous joy after she repented and prayed to know Him as Savior. Also from a non-Christian family, she had fears and we talked about counting the cost. Undetered, she began reading the Bible online and sought out the pastor two days later to tell him about her conversion.

While these two conversations (and subsequent changed lives) would not have happened in this way without direct, real-life, human connection and relationship, the fact of the matter is that I was only with these girls for 8 days...and following that, our friendship continued remotely. Facebook is the medium through which we were able to stay in touch...and ultimately, God used it as the tool through which I was able to lead them to Himself. (The "means" is always His Word. There are different ways of communicating His Truth, though: online versions of the Bible work just as well as leather-bound editions.) Bible study is easier to conduct via Skype, however, as multiple people can participate in real-time.

I praise God for the two young girls whose names are now written down in glory, and for the technology which can certainly be used for His glory.

An Amaryldian in Albania

Where I will be in 4 weeks:

Like the title of my post? "Amaryldian" is a word I just learned this morning - from Jay Adams, of course - which apparently means "Four-Point Calvinist". From Wiki: "Simply stated, Amyraldism holds that God has provided Christ's atonement for all alike, but seeing that none would believe on their own, he then elected those whom he will bring to faith in Christ, thereby preserving the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election."

Works for me. That describes my church's position on Limited Atonement pretty well, and while it's certainly not a hill I'd want to die on, that is where I stand, as well.

However, that's not the point of this post. I chose the word for it's alliterative properties, so I could share my REAL news: four weeks from today, I'll be headed to Albania on a short-term missions trip with the British ministry, Albania Evangelical Mission. Whilst my original plan was to go with my "alma mater" Campus Crusade for Christ, who was severely short of teachers for one of their seven camps in Albania, due to a sequence of events causing CCC to change their camp dates I was unable to join them. It all worked out for the best: this British group runs Christian camps all summer in the same location (near Saranda, in southern Albania) and I could join them much less expensively.

Most of the 17-18 year olds who will be attending this Christian camp the week I am serving there have not made a profession of faith in Christ. However, they are attending the camp with interest and in the full knowledge that we will be presenting the Gospel to them, teaching the basics of Christianity, and using the Bible as a medium to help them improve their English skills as well. Besides all that, I anticipate a lot of fun camp-type activities in the afternoons, worship, and fellowship as well! I have never been camping before, so this will be a new experience for me in that regard. I have taught English (in Bulgaria) before, as well as having led Bible studies for many years, both in the US and in Bulgaria....but I have never slept in a tent, so we shall see. (Cold water showers, on the other hand, are nothing new to me - that was par for the course in Leningrad and Sofia during the summer.)

I have read camp reports and seen photos from years prior, and many new young Christians have been baptized right in the Ionian Sea right there at the camp. I am hoping and praying to be able to develop lasting and fruitful relationships with some of the kids (and staff) I will be serving. (Given the rustic situation, it's unlikely that I'll be able to blog from there, but afterwards perhaps.)

Montenegro Mission Bearing Fruit

More mission team news from Stoneworks International (the umbrella ministry that funds Spring of Revival Belarus, MIR in Russia, and church plants/summer camps in Montenegro, part of the former Yugoslavia). The following is from the latter ministry's monthly newsletter.

Summers are always a busy and fruitful time for our ministries. The work in Russia, Belarus and Montenegro continues to grow, as the Lord gives grace. He said that if we're faithful with little, He will entrust more to us. We are blessed to have many faithful servants who pour out their lives, serving in the name of Christ. Please keep them in your prayers, that God's blessings will be on them and their families.

We had another team come from the United States, this time from a church in Texas that has committed to building a church plant in Bijelo Polje, a mostly Muslim town in the mountains. The team basically had two jobs for their week here: one was to encourage the church in PG, and the other was to host a small event in Bijelo Polje to raise interest for the gospel.


Those of us from the church in PG, who were able to go, went with the Texas team up to the Tara river gorge and had a sort of retreat. The team taught out of Philippians and it was a really encouraging time for all of us.We also helped the team distribute fliers in Bijelo Polje announcing their event, which was a lecture on "Authentic Christianity," basically calling people to go back to reading the Bible instead of just believing what a priest says.

The lecture drew some attention, more than we predicted for a small town that didn't seem particularly open to new ideas. We know that some Orthodox people were there, and at least one Atheist.

Some good discussions ensued after the lectures, and people were at least encouraged to go home and read the Bible.

This is a start, because "...faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Speaking of "hearing the word," TEENAGE CAMP BEGINS IN 10 DAYS!!!!

PLEASE please be praying for our teenagers, and for us a we prepare for camp. This is the best opportunity we have to build relationships with our teens and to present the gospel to them. We are collecting the last of their registration forms these next two days.

Please pray that the teens who come will really listen and take in what the Bible has to say about Love (this is our theme): what it means for God to love us, for us to love Him, for us to love other people, and what dating/marriage/sex looks like from a biblical perspective. Thank you all for your interest, and especially for your prayers and financial support. :)

-To hear more about teams arriving for ministry in Montenegro click here.

Good News from Belarus...

Last year, I wrote about the orphanage/post-orphan ministry Spring of Revival is doing in Belarus, a country with 36,000 orphans and the most repressive in Europe regarding religious freedom. Last fall, Olga visited here in Massachusetts with her husband and children, and despite opposition (and the deportation of most American volunteers), they are continuing to minister to the "least of these". The children are thriving, spiritually and otherwise....a true miracle, considering their circumstances.

This morning, I received the latest ministry update from Belarus, with great pictures from the Christian summer camp SoR runs for kids from two orphanages. For more information and previous newsletters, see the Stoneworks International site.

Camp Time in Belarus
June 11, 2010

Olga Goncharenko just sent this wonderful update from Belarus about Camp that started May 28th:
There are 180 children at camp. We have brought 40 kids: 20 of them are from Stankovo orphanage (7 girls and 13 boys) and 20 are from Mozyr area that remains polluted by Chernobyl (8 girls and 12 boys).

Days at camp are full of different events. Every morning the children get up at 8 and then they do morning exercises. After that they get ready, clean their rooms and go to breakfast.

When breakfast is finished the children go to Bible class (there are 3 classes for different ages 7-9, 10-12, 13 and up).

When Bible class is finished it is time for a big game, in which the whole camp takes part.

Then it is lunch and after lunch it is quiet time when children stay in their rooms and read or take a nap.

Following nap time is snack and then it is movie time or time to play different sports, such as volleyball, golf, running, rope-jumping, etc.

Next, it is dinner and group time; afterward it is ’second dinner’ time. At the end of the day it is a meeting for the whole camp, where the director tells the results of the day and wishes everyone good night.

The children all sing together a good night song and go to their rooms. Then they get ready for bed, read Bible, talk and pray together. And then they all go to sleep.

That is how we spend each day at camp. The children learn more about God and Bible and also they get to have a good time.

"Please Bring Me More of These Readings!"

Well, that doesn't happen every day.

At least not to me, anyway.

This morning, I went to interpret for one of my regular patients in Boston - we'll call her "Mrs. P". I've written about her before; we had a conversation about the injustice of suffering last November, and how Christ suffered the greatest injustice of all when He bore our sin.

A couple of years ago, I mentioned in passing that I could not make it to one of her appointments. I was leading a women's Bible study on Romans at the time, which I explained to her when she asked what I was teaching - and she told me that she, also, read the Bible although it was difficult to understand. As I happened to have a few Bulgarian Gospel tracts I had translated for just such occasions, I gave her one and said that it should shed some light on the "big picture" of Scripture for her. She eagerly accepted it, and several times since then I've sensed that she was tryoing to get me to talk about God in a round-about way.

This is exactly what happened in November.

Granted, being an aging widow in a foreign country on a fixed income with a slew of chronic health problems, a language barrier, and a daughter with a failing marriage has given Mrs. P. a lot of woes. She doesn't complain, but the heaviness is particularly apparent around the holidays. She is unappreciated by the adult children and grandchildren she used to serve faithfully, and questioned whether God sees. If He does, why is He silent? Is He indifferent to her suffering, or is He punishing her for sme unknown transgression? No, I pointed out; God does not work that way and we have assurance from His Word that ultimately every wrong will be set right. In the meantime, He asks us to be faithful, and look to Christ as our example - the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) Who was innocent, yet bore our punishment. She agreed, and I gave her a Paul Washer sermon in Bulgarian, "The Meaning of the Cross", to take home and read.

Now, if you're familiar with Paul Washer's preaching, you know that he doesn't exactly mess around. He is hard-hitting with the truth, eschewing the deceptive seeker-sensitive nonsense that many have substituted for the Gospel. This (11-page) message was particularly direct and blunt, dealing with the full horror of sin and the cosmic wrath poured out on the Lamb of God. Washer does not shrink from describing hell for the unrepentant who rely on their own works (un)righteousness or directly oppose God.

Admittedly, after giving Mrs. P. the transcript, the possibility that I might have scared her off did cross my mind a time or two. Although she is a believer, she has never had any doctrinal instruction or sat under any teaching - as an adherent to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the only liturgy she is familiar with consists of incomprehensible chanting in Old Slavonic and ecclesiastical rituals. Does she believe in the Triune God and uphold the Nicene Creed? Absolutely. Did she have a saving faith? I honestly don't know, but I believe so - the Holy Spirit has been very much at work in her.

This morning, there was something different about her - it was the first time in years I have seen her that she didn't look depressed or downcast. Last week, she told me how relieved she was to have been approved for $100 per month in food stamps, but that would not account for the light in her eyes this morning. She told me, "That piece you gave me to read - it opened my eyes! It lifted my spirits so much; thank you! Do you have any more like these? I believe...I like to learn this!"

I just so happened to have a Bulgarian John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" in my bag, so I gladly gave it to her. I was, in a word, gob-smacked - and very much encouraged to be more bold in sharing the Gospel with my patients. If Paul Washer is lifting somebody's spirits, how much more evidence do we need that the Holy Spirit is at work here? Like Jonathan Edwards and John the Baptist before him, the unregenerate mind will be extremely offended by Washer's radical call to repentance. I told her I was glad she had gotten something out of the sermon and it had not offended her - to which she exclaimed, "How could it offend me? I'm asking you for this information! Please bring me more of these readings!"

Well, wow. Cool beans; it's been a good day. Now I need to find Paul Washer's address so I can write and tell him to keep contending for the faith -- no one knows how God may choose to use his or her work. Through a message he preached, the Gospel reached a lonely immigrant woman in Boston. None of us have any idea how God will use things we've done, said, or written for His glory.