A huge part of our ministry this month is prayer walking through our village of Stoenesti. Kayla and I team up and spend four hours walking through the streets, praying over places we feel need to be bathed in prayer.
One of these places we stopped and prayed over one day was the village church. When I say church, I don't mean the one we live above and are partnered with. This church is an evangelical church plant, a part of the larger Hope Church in Draganesti. No, I'm talking about the Orthodox church.
I admit, I didn't know a ton about the Orthodox church before coming to Romania. I knew the basics, but in my mind, I equated it almost with the Catholic church. Both have services steeped in traditions, both are based in Christianity, and both take the seeds of Christianity and tend to put more emphasis on saints and traditions than on the Gospel.
But knowing these things in your head and actually witnessing them for yourself are two different things. As Kayla and I prayed over this church, that the priest and the members would have their eyes opened to the truth of Christianity, I noticed something. Two boys, around nine or ten years old, whizzed by the front of the church on their bikes. As they passed, both of them crossed themselves twice. It was done with little forethought, just a rote movement. But it spoke volumes to me.
In this area, people are extremely superstitious. The "evil eye" is a real thing to them, as are witches and demons and spirits. Needless to say, this area has some intense spiritual warfare. But most people choose to fight this by adhering to superstitious protection, good-luck charms and rituals, and by legalistically following rules from the church. It breaks my heart to see these people bound by the weight of superstition. They think they have eternal salvation, and some of them may, but they are so trapped by legalism and superstition. There is no freedom for them. There is no personal relationship with Jesus.
Please pray with me, especially this weekend. Easter is a time to celebrate the sacrifice Jesus made so we could be free! We are free in Him! We can approach Him at any time, no matter our sin, and He will embrace and guide us. We don't need to sanctify ourselves; that's impossible. Only Christ can sanctify. And oh, how He longs to do that! He just asks that we come as we are, willing to change and willing to give ourselves up to Him, and He will do the rest. Please pray that the people of this area will have their eyes opened to this truth this weekend and beyond, and that they will come to know Jesus. Please pray that they will find freedom and joy!
