Of course, I did some homework before I came to Romania. Around 100 A.D., this land was the eastern edge of the vast Roman Empire. Romanian is still the only language of Latin origin in Eastern Europe — the reason I can use my hands and be understood. They even greet close friends with the familiar “Ciao!” (pronounced “chow”and spelled Ceau here). Hearing it makes my Italian heart sing.
My host and ministry colleague, Pastor Emanuel Tundrea, certainly knows a fair amount about the history of his country. But, the other day I confounded him with the fact that Johnny Weissmuller was also born in Timisoara, where he now lives. I was shocked when he asked, “Who is he?” “What?” I responded, “He’s Tarzan, one of my favorite childhood superheroes! (Okay, technically-speaking he was the actor who played the fictional Tarzan of the Jungle but why quibble about such matters?) What does matter is that I am here in the land of real superheroes — superheroes of the faith. And they certainly are not acting the part. They are the real deal!
If the Bible were to be written today, I suspect we would find many of their names written in Hebrews 11.
- “By faith [insert the names of Romanian brothers or sisters in Christ] suffered greatly under Communism.”
- “By faith [a long list of beloved Romanians] experienced the pangs of an unrelenting and cruel dictatorship.”
- “By faith [many here in this country] continue to battle false teaching and atheistic indifference.”
Today I finish teaching at Emmanuel University of Oradea, a Christian school founded in 1990, built and sustained by a host of other heroes of the faith. Some, like Adrian Rogers — one of my heroes —come to mind. But even beyond the well-known heroes comes a myriad of names of the faithful that will not make the history books. Countless numbers of young men and women have gone out from this place, equipped with more than an excellent education. They have been fortified with the Word of God and a passion to reach the world. Many, like their “super-hero forefathers of the faith” will still do so at great sacrifice.
It is no surprise to me that today Romania has one of the largest evangelical populations in Eastern Europe. What an honor I have to encourage these young heroes to become Ambassadors of Purity in their homes, their churches and throughout the world. What a challenge to remind them that an unholy world will never be won to Christ by an unholy church. It is my prayer that it would be said: “By faith [most of the students here] did battle rampant immorality, pornography and one of the largest sex-trade industries in the region.” And even moreso, “By faith [all of the students here] took a heroic stand to live holy lives.”
After teaching a class of theology students, I move on to begin teaching a pastors conference for the next few days. I expect to meet some more heroes. Stay tuned and thanks for praying. Who knows? Someday you may get to meet one of these heroes of the faith here or there. If you do, greet them with another Latin word pace (pronounced pache). It’s the word for peace spoken among Christians here. Hopefully, as they open their lives to you, you will even hear them speak to you as a friend and greet you with a sincere “Ciao!”
Recent Comments