Romanian Missionary. REMM - Traditional
First B Jackson
2019-10-06

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Alright.

Good morning, everybody. You're probably thinking this looks a little different this morning. Well, we, the band is gonna fill in here to sing. It's not normally, we don't usually have a full band. We usually sing from the piano and worship from the piano and the hymn book.

But I am singing some hymns, so they will be, I think, recognizable. And, I really do invite you to to sing along with me. But would you stand and and we'll we'll start by singing holy holy holy, and, we'll warm up to the Lord this morning.

Alright. Holy, holy, holy. Holy, holy, Lord God

Alright. Verse two. Here we go. Alright. Verse three.

Let's sing this one out. Amen. Ain't that so true? From first Samuel, there is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one beside you.

There is no rock like our God. Indeed, there is not. He is holy. He is other. He is great.

That is why we sing to him. Let's sing, come thou found. Lord, we do bring our praises to you this morning because you are worthy. And, Lord, we are prone to wander. We are.

But I thank you, Lord, for, by your your loving kindness, you draw us in. You draw us into the fold. You are a good good shepherd, and we are grateful. Amen. Would you have a seat?

I've got just a few announcements that I'd like to put in front of you before we go forward. And Josh, would you just spin these and I'll do my best. Junior and senior high girls that they have met already. Forgive me if I stumble through these. I am not the announcements guy normally.

Okay? We'll keep moving here though. Youth group, that is tonight from five to seven. If you got kids, grandkids, you know of anybody? Middle school and high school youth group is Sundays from five to seven.

So know that that is there. Monday nights tomorrow, meal, music, message that starts at six. The food is great. The word is encouraging. I want you to know that you're invited if you'd ever like to check out Monday nights.

It really is for everybody. Okay? At the same time, Awana is happening right here in the circle. Kids are running around. Kids are here and there.

They're everywhere. They're taking in the word of God. They're storing it in their hearts. And could we just for a moment thank our volunteers for Owana? We are so grateful for our volunteers.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Community Bible study, that is Wednesdays from nine to 11:30 right over here. I poked my head in there this week and saw a lot of smiles.

That is available. Another Bible study for girls this time. And if you know middle schoolers, that would like to be a part of this, this is at the whole grocer at 03:30 on Wednesdays. Precept studies, that is in motion right now. I won't say anymore on that.

Frontline appreciation, this one is important. I would like to put this in front of you. So next Sunday, there's gonna be a frontline appreciation and informal luncheon. So those who are already serving on frontline, also, could we have a hands if anybody is in a frontline person? Could we also thank them?

Such an important job. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Really.

And anyone that is an interested in becoming a frontline because we need more of you. It's a really important job here at First B, and that'll be next Sunday 12:30 in the Fellowship Hall. Don't let that scary picture scare you. Alright? That is to remind me today we are having two offers.

So we have a guest. His name is Peter. You get to hear from Peter later. He's from Romania. But what we're we do when we have missionaries is a lot of times we'll have two offerings.

One is just our general offering. We will do that one first. K? Just wanna give you a heads up before it happens. So one's the general often offering that happens first.

The second offering will be at the end, after Peter has spoken. So if you would like to give toward, REM, which is Romanian evangelical medical mission, you certainly can do that, but we want to provide that opportunity. So there there's a little something beforehand before it all happens. Everything else, please look in your bulletins. They work really hard in the office to to to inform us.

And so take a look to your your bulletin for anything else. And well, hello there. Why don't you stand up? Would you greet one another? Say hi to the people around you and then we'll bring you back in song.

Alright. We're gonna sing I know whom I've had believed.

I know not by God's wondrous grace to me, he had made known. No. Am worthy in Christ in love redeem before he is. But I know

You know, what I love about doing what we're doing right now is we get to sing the truths of scripture. That's what we're doing right now. For second Timothy, it says, I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. We we've just sung it, but we're singing the truths of scripture right now as we're gonna sing this one too. Not the laborers.

Not the laborers of my hands and fulfill my lost in man. Could my zeal nor respite know.

Amen. You can be seated. I would like to Let's see. We're gonna let me get my bearings here. Frontline team, this would be the first offering right here.

And, Steve, would you would you like to pray for that first offering?

You bet.

And then also, Frenchie, can I invite you up? Frenchie's gonna sing with us a little song, with his harmonica.

Come on up front line team as I pray. And Frenchie, get yourself ready.

Yeah.

I just wanna thank you for being a giving church, and we are a mission church. That means we don't just give to missions, but we have the mindset of missions. And we our goal, our passion is for that, all the world to hear and all the world to praise the Lord like we just did in those songs. And so good to sing those old hymns. So let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we are grateful grateful for your compassion, your love, your forgiveness, your salvation for us. We pray, Lord, that as we give, that you will take these funds, Lord, and that you will use them here, use them in Jackson, use them in Wyoming, in North America, and around the world. We pray, Lord, that you would, bring people to you. You would change lives, move people from death to life. Open our eyes, open our ears, open our hearts to you, Lord, that we might know you better and worship you more.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Think about Jesus' words when he says, don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough worries of its own, and let's be leaving our burdens.

If

Apologize to Carl. Carl, I free a curve there again. Sorry. That's alright. I jumped the gun earlier, but he was very gracious.

So we, as I said, are a mission church, and, so Peter and Anna are one of the missionaries that we support. They are from the homeland of mister Florine over here and Ferry and, Mundra. Yes. And Mandy. Excuse me.

And, so we're just grateful to have them here. And, we're looking forward to hearing from you and what you're what the Lord's doing there, but he's got a he's also got a word from the Lord for us. So I just wanna read for him from Acts chapter one and starting at verse 12. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount Of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. And when they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying.

Those present were Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas Bartholomew, and Matthew. James, son of Alphesians and Simon, the zealot, and Judas, the son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Good morning. I remember with great joy the time that we had here with you when was last time here. Today you heard the word of God and how disciples went in the upper room and they start praying. And also, it was brothers there and his mother praying altogether. Just before the long line long time before that, same disciples fall asleep when Jesus was praying.

And Jesus came to them and say, pray. He went again to pray. He came back. Again, they were sleeping. And now and now they are praying and constantly praying.

And what happened? Jesus told them, stay here around Jerusalem and until Holy Spirit will come and you will have power, and you will be my witnesses here in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and Samaria, and to the edge of the earth. And what's happened on the Pentecost day, there is an Acts chapter two presented to us how Jews from all nation on the earth and people from Mesopotamia, people from Rome, people from Egypt, from Libya came to Jerusalem. Do you think today there is any power as united nation or a great leader to bring in Jerusalem and to hear what they heard wonderful things of God. So this small group, so people from Egypt, people from Mesopotamia, where that means Turkey, that means Iraq, that means Saudi Arabia.

People came to listen, to hear word of God. Wonderful things of God. Through whom? Through this small group that pray in upper room. Who are they?

They were in that room and if you look at them, Peter, why are here? You deserve to be here. You deserve to be a leader. You denied three times, name of Jesus. Why you are here?

Because you wept for your sins? Because what you have done is unthinkable. Your collapse was incredible. How that you are here? Peter can say, I'm here only by grace of God.

Only by grace of Jesus. He accepted me. And he told me before I collapsed, Peter, I pray for you and after, you will come back to your brothers and give strength to them. Isn't that a miracle that everyone, everyone there were just by grace of Jesus, not through their merit. For forty five years between us, it was that Berlin Wall, it was that iron curtain, and forty five years of communism in Romania.

After that collapse, here in The United States came president of Poland because in 1989, it was that huge event when communism collapsed and no one knew that this will happen. I never thought that this will happen. And suddenly this collapse and was like domino game and Poland start first and Hungary and after that country after country. And when president of Poland immediately after that collapse of communism came here, many journalists went to left Valenza and they said, president Valenza, you are the hero. You fought with communism and look what's happened.

And he said, don't look at me. The hero is God. The I was not I didn't have power. Now you look at these disciples. They, from here, went to several events happened, but one day they went to temple and was Peter and John and there was a crippled man there.

And the man was begging and when they look at Peter and John, Peter said, the gold and silver I don't have. But what I have I give to you. In name of Jesus, Walk. Now people, leaders, Sanhedrin, they learned about this. More people believed in God because now they will witness what happened with this man.

And they brought Peter and John and others in front, the leaders. And now they said, why you have done this? And then whose name you have done this? And Peter said, like after collapse of communism, Peter said, don't look at us that we have done this through our power. This man is healed because of in his name, because of his power and we are witness witnesses for him.

What amazing story. The sea collapse of communism and the sea leaders like president of Poland coming here, tell the journalist, don't look at me. It's not through my power. It's God's power. We pray behind Ira Cortin.

We pray there and Cortin collapsed. When president Havel of that time when they started was Czechoslovakia, now there are two Czech Republic and Slovakia. When he came here, same journalist came and said, are the hero. You have been prisoned and you resisted communism and look what's happened. You are the hero.

I'm not the hero. I'm not the hero. And disciples now when everybody look what they have done, said we are not the heroes. Everything was done on name of Jesus. We came from Romania.

And in Romania, after communism collapsed everywhere, the dictator of Romania said, but this will not happen. Never this will happen in Romania. But in Romania, we have what you heard here in the upper room. There was a preacher in Romania and a preacher, and we look at him, a preacher when the communist many times didn't allow us even in the churches to go. A preacher who came forward and preached this sermon, God bring that time and he asked all of us to pray.

Bring that time when we can preach on the stadium, when we can preach to radio, when we can preach a TV. And everybody whispered to each other, do you know they would not allow you even church to do that? How can you pray for the stadium? Do you know today that many preach in Romania on the stadium today? Because it was a prayer.

Because somebody was in upper room, invited others, joined with me to have a chain of prayer and look what's happened. We have the voice of the gospel in Romania, all over Romania. We have TV programs, Christian programs, was unthinkable for me, for many, for my generation. But it was an upper room. Now a disciple came, had been brought in front of the Sanhedrin and Sanhedrin, the leaders decided to put them to death, to kill them.

So that mission that just started now must be finished or it's over. So when they decided to kill them, they said a very respected man, Gamaliel, very respected by everybody, came forward and said, here, men of Israel, pay attention to what we intend to do to these people. Because not long time ago, a man who said, I am somebody, His name was Judas, came and many followers. He was killed. His followers was dispersed all over.

And not after that, another one came, Judas Galilean. He came many followers. He saw that somebody. He was killed. Many followers were killed.

And I will tell you one one thing now. Let these people go because if this mission, if this work is coming from man, will be destroyed. But if mission is coming from God, you will not be able to destroy this work. But I will tell you to not be careful to not fight against God. When communist came in power, one thing that the thing that they sought is how to eliminate, how to destroy religion.

They're have word of God in your homes, in your churches, everywhere. They didn't know they start a war against God. They didn't know that they start a war with God who when Sanhedrin saw disciples, they look at them and look at them and said, these are unschooled, ordinary men. How did they are so bold? Because not long time ago, they were locked they have they locked the doors.

They are trembling. They are so scared. And now they are so bold. They're ready to die. Because now they have Holy Spirit.

Now they have power. Now they have power to be witness for Jesus Christ. We are here, and I want to share with you several things. God help us in Romania. The hero of us, when secret police kill so many people in the marketplace, there was blood.

They fell on their knees, and they start after forty five years with Lord's prayer. In Timisara where revolution started, in Bucharest, in Arad City, in all these big cities of Romania to see Romanians on their knees, Lord, pray heavenly father. When dictator was overthrown and he was executed at Christmas day, people, they shouted, God is with us. God is with us. Now how can be we witness for Jesus Christ and say this happened?

To tell here in America, to tell in European Union, to tell to the edge of the earth, we are witness. Imagine when disciples spoke to people, they didn't make the invitation. They say, people from Egypt, we send you invitation. Come here to Jerusalem and you will go back and you will be a witness in Egypt. People from Libya, who can do that?

Holy Spirit brought all these people. One, like for me, it's a great honor to come here and to see Florin from Romania, to see Ferry from Romania, to see Mandy from Romania here in The United States. If I go in Chicago, you see Romanians. If you go in New York, you see Romanians. They are witness for Jesus Christ.

And for me, it's look who have this power to bring people? Recently, I got messages from young Romanians. They they work Papua, New Guinea, they bring word of God. Others send me messages from South America, other from from Africa, other from Asia. And I say, how was that possible?

We didn't cross even our border in Romania, and now you see all over the world. And they are witness for Jesus Christ. We are here to testify that, your support, your love for our mission for us, actually impacted so many people in Romania. And not only in Romania. We have medical teams, doctors, for including from his from Wyoming.

And I am so amazed when I got a message from one doctor who said, Peter, I am in Nepal. I am in Nigeria. I am, I have a doctor's team of doctors going to all these countries. Very hard to get there, do medical work. Do you know where this dream was born?

When we had been in the huge in your town and your house, when we prayed there, we have upper room and look now the doctors spread all over the world. I said, what powerful message. When we have students, colleges, college students from here, from America, and they came when we saw that we'll have impact upon Gypsy community, upon orphans, upon villages, upon politicians, upon public school, colleges. And when they come back, they came back and they send me messages and they said, Peter, do you know that I decided when I was Romania to be a missionary? And when you get all these messages from all over, they said, how this word was spread when we didn't talk in Romania about that.

We said, how we help Gypsy community? How we help orphan? How we help public school? We talk only about that. But God has a bigger plan, larger plan.

And I said, I never thought of this way. I never had such a broad picture about this. And when you think of the results, of the fruit, it was an upper room with all these disciples who said, why you are here, you Peter? You Thomas? Thomas, what what did you say that you cannot believe?

Only if you see his palm, his wounds, you only in that way, if you see with your eyes. If all disciple told you, we saw that he is the reason, you couldn't believe. Now why are here? I'm here only by his grace, And we are here by his grace. Romania is we have that collapse of walls because of his grace.

We have now God bless us to spread all over his message, and he gave us, and we need to say like disciples, don't look at us. If we try to find heroes in Romania, the heroes of revolution, then we'll fail. All the disciple in upper room, all they failed. All they they're all failures. Not a single one can say I didn't well, Jesus was alone when he was crucified.

All of them, you run away. And Jesus accepted them back. Jesus not only that, they said, you will be my witnesses. And our position as witness to come back and to say, I see. I saw Romanians in First Baptist Church.

If if you see, go back to the your country to bring that message that I saw Romanians all over. And, and praise God because they are shining. And praise God because they are witness. And this is, what disciples said. Don't look at us.

We are weak. We don't have power, but he has power in his name. So, we are here, and I want to give you a report about our organization, Romanian Evangelistic Medical Mission. Why is it called that Romanian Evangelistic Medical Mission? Because we saw that the collapse of communism, that bring the gospel word of God to Romanians, we call evangelistic, to bring medicine to Romanians because after collapse of, communism, even aspirin was missing, to bring Christian doctor here and to start with this mission.

But soon after that, I saw here in states, I saw in Romania. I saw images that I couldn't believe. Orphans, abandoned children, crawling on the floor naked, and said this is impossible. And some people said even Nazi didn't treat people like that. Why is this?

This is communism. And, I had that video. I don't know if we can show this video. There are four minutes. If is that possible, how was when we invited a TV crew from here and they were witness and we were witness, and how we started the mission with medical work, after that with orphanage, with Christian orphanage, and after that with Gypsy ministry.

We started a ministry among politician. Some people said, you cannot do that. I never was a member of any party in Romania or here. I never was a politician, but yet I spent a lot of time with including with president or former presidents of Romania, with prime minister to share, the bring a Bible and to give a Bible and to give to member of government or to chief of police. And we look at all of these and said, only God was who opened the door for incredible events that happened in Romania.

If is that possible to show that video, it's 1991, one year and something after a revolution. We have NBC branch in Iowa. And they presented every evening what see here. Yep, we can see. I was very impressed how they present in Iowa.

So they have a they have done a good job in Iowa presenting every night a news time about three minutes with our mission, how we started, and from here, we started our Christian orphan. From here, we started medical work, and they presented how we started all the ministries. We had a very good response response from Iowa. And what you saw here was legacy of communism. When they took care of everything of everybody.

I pray that God will use as witnesses to present what God has done for us in Romania and what other people came in power and say, we don't need God, and what they have done to Romania and to all these former communist country. Romania was called breadbasket of Europe. At end of communism, we were empty basket of Europe with so many orphan, with so many abandoned children. What we try to do now in Romania is to prevent, among other ministries, work hard with American teams to prevent abandonment of children going from village to village help them. We have a GAPA ministry.

And from you came to help hand in hand with us to help needy families. Last summer, my son-in-law, Alex, who is here, he started a project that four children. 24 in the Gypsy community. 24 children. 12 children.

He built a house together with, Americans, with teams, and he wants to continue this. And, this is how we try to continue the ministry in Romania through medical doctors, through teachers in public schools, through preachers, pastors, policemen, petitions, and to be witness for Jesus Christ. And you kept our upper room, and we try to have this chain of prayer and to thank you from bottom of our heart for your great health and to keep us in prayer because last summer, we started a prayer group, a college of prayer international, and we invited people from Russia, from Ukraine, from Former Yugoslavia to pray with us and to pray for Europe. You know that today, according to many statistics, there are more people with have freedom of religion. But we have more people persecuted today today today than any other in the history and two thousand year of Christianity.

We need to start upper room here, in Romania and Europe and to keep our hands because God who used disciples who failed first time, and they had been such such a powerful witness for Jesus Christ can do through us. Same work of witness for witnesses for Jesus Christ. Thank you for your support for Romania, for our ministry. We praise God for you, and deep from our heart, thank you for all we have done.

Thank you, Peter. I'd like to invite, our our frontline team to come forward again. This would be the the second offering. If you feel compelled to give, toward REM, you certainly can. And I'd like to invite Florine to, to play just a little bit here.

But a verse comes to mind as I hear from Peter, and it's from first Thessalonians. Rejoice al always and pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, but it's that pray without ceasing. Prayer works. It always has and it always will.

And so I'd like to pray and give thanks here, and, will you join me, please? Lord, we do thank you for, the work that you have done all over the world. I thank you for specifically the work that you have done, in Romania, the work that you continue to do. I thank you for willing, willing servants just to say, send me. I'm I'm going.

I I wanna be there. I wanna be your hands and and feet there. I want to contribute. I want to pray. I want to help, And I thank you for, for those who have who've who've gone there physically, to to just share, to share, to be be hands, be feet, to be love.

But, Lord, we continue. The the work is ongoing. It always it always has been, and we ask that you would continue to work in in Romania with Rem. But, Lord, also work in us, Lord, that desire to continue to keep praying as it is very important. In Jesus' name, amen.

And, also, would you, stand and join me for one last song here, and we'll close with a there's power in the blood. There's power in prayer, but there is power in the blood of Jesus. Let me leave you this year. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope. Amen.