The Church on the Street

Our team has been going at it strong for about the last two weeks. Troy (the missionary here) divided the city up into seventeen zones and we have been prayer-walking and sharing Christ through literally every section of this city. We have walked over 40 hours and have been able to share the gospel with hundreds of people who had never heard the biblical good news of Jesus Christ. Yeah...we are tired. God has been teaching me a lot throughout this trip--teaching me of humility, submission, service, joy, and the comfort of his Holy Spirit. I want to share one particular instance that happened last night that sticks out:

Last night we made our way to the town phaleza (easily the most happening spot in Braila) to have some conversations. After speaking with a couple old ladies I spotted a younger guy sitting on a bench, taking a break from roller-blading. We went over to talk to him and ended up sitting and sharing the Gospel with him. I went verse to verse having him read it and then explain what it meant to him. I was enjoying myself and I liked this guy because he seemed genuinely interested in what the Scriptures had to say. I pointed him to John 3:3 (You must be born again) and asked his opinion. He read it once. Then twice. After having ample time to contemplate this deep text, he looked up at us, clearly confused, and asked, "How can you be born again?" Before any of us could try to answer this, he basically quoted Nicodemus's response to Jesus beginning in verse 4: "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?"

I was immediately struck by the absurdity of this text. What does it even mean to be born again? Of course I knew all the right "churchy" answers to this question, but for the first time I was gripped by the revolutionary, mysterious, and downright weird ideas of the Gospel we have become so bored with. The meaning and shock value of this passage has been lost in the familiarity and cheesiness of our Christian bubble. To an American non-believer, "born again" would conjure up images of televangelist scandals, intolerance, irrelevance, and political aspirations. This Romanian man, however, was struck by the deeper spiritual implications of this text. His genuine questions enabled us to share with him the beautiful Gospel message.

What if Biblical interpretation was not only relegated to quiet studies and ivory towers? What if theology meant doing something rather than just knowing something? I am convinced that discipleship must include praxis as well as knowledge. Latin American theologians have beaten us to this principle and developed the idea of a well-balanced praxiology. As I sat there sharing Christ with Leonardo, the text I was using became real to me. This passage of scripture was no longer a intangible spiritual idea, but rather it was a description of our work ministering on the streets of this city. Proper Biblical interpretation must occur in the context of mission. I use study helps and commentaries more than most, but there is something about doing the Bible rather than just reading it. There is an incredible power when the Church is released into their streets rather than held captive in their sanctuaries.


Our Streets


Daily group for ministry. We respond to both "The Dream Team," and "The All-Star Team."





Justin (22 year old missionary from Atlanta) speaking to a local Romanian leader named Bogdan. Transformed from an abusive drunk, Bodgan is now one of the strongest leaders in the mafia-ridden valley planting churches and raising leaders.