This devotional was written in Romania, about mid-week through our journey. I focused primarily on those current needs of our team, who were growing weary of working, but not sharing the gospel by word-of-mouth. I hope that it might give you a fresh perspective or a simple reminder of what our job is in evangelism.
By Autumn Black, FFR Volunteer who came with a team from Kingwood Bible Church, Kingwood, TX
"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." -1 Cor. 13:13
What does it mean to 'hope'? Dictionary.com tell us that as a noun it is "the feeling that something desired is possible" and as a verb hope is "to look forward to with desire and confidence; or- to have hope". As Christians, we recognize this as a Pagan view of hope. In this view, just because someone hopes, that doesn't bring anything to fruition.
Both Simon and Mary (FFR Team members) have spoken of the Roma people in a way that perfectly reflects a Pagan's hope situation: one of hopelessness. They live in the moment, stuck in a mind-frame that revolves around constant need, and yet, no matter what they find to fulfill that moments need, it's never enough. They can't live outside themselves; they only see their own needs and what directly impacts them in that immediate situation.
Jesus makes is plain in John 4:14 ("but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.") that only in Him can we be fulfilled and are we able to fill that void (the one the Roma peoples don't even realize they're hoping to fill with every passing situations need 'met', and why their emptiness continues, and yet their emptiness continues). Everything else we use to fill this void will dry up, as it does with the Roam people, and will require something else to refill that emptiness, which then becomes a cycle. this cycle is referred to in John 4:13 ("Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again.'")
As Christians, we understand that "hope is synonymous with salvation and its many blessings, past, present and future, as promised in Scripture. This is true even with what we have already received as believers because these blessing come under the category of what we cannot see. We may see some of the results, but it still requires faith and hope. For example, we do not see the justifying work of God, the imputation of Christ's righteousness to our account, nor do we see the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we are saved, nor our co-union with Christ. We believe this to be reality, but this is a matter of our hope. We believe in the testimony of God in the Word and hope for the results in our lives. In summary, hope (to a Christian) is the confident expectation, the sure certainty that what God has promised in the Word is true, has occurred, or will in accordance with God's sure word. -Bible.org/article/hope
The entire situation with he Roma people reminds me of John 1:5 "The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness comprehends it not."
Firm Foundations Romania has become a light in the darkness of these peoples' lives. The Tomas don't understand why these men and women sacrifice their time, energy, comforts of home, etc. on them. "They comprehend it not," yet Mary, Simon, Alisha and the others continue to be a light to them. And, as an extension of FFR this week, we too have become part of that light.
A couple times this week, I've heard our team mention how they wish that they were more a part of the "Spiritual" side of what we've been doing and have been desiring that you'd have more opportunities to vocalize your faith so that you might have more impact.
I challenge you to remember Christ's words as recorded in John 4: 36-38 "'Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; other have labored and you have entered into their labor.'"
We are here to "enter into (FFR's) labor" this week. His light shines from each
of us in everything we do: changing diapers, holding neglected babies, digging up rotting boards, putting in new flooring. Everything we do in His Spirit allows His light to shine forth.
I encourage you to remember today that our task in evangelism is not to count as success only those who immediately are saved, but to share. One may come behind us and water and nurture that seed we planted and help that person come to saving grace knowledge. It is still counted as a success to us because we did our job in evangelism: to share the Gospel.
All the Holy Spirit to dictate how you share to Gospel in each situation-- with a hug, a hammer, or in actual words. After all, we are only the vehicle, while the Holy Spirit is the one actually doing the driving. True hope will never become realized until the Holy Spirit intervenes and changes the heart of man-- any man, including a Roma.
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