Refugees finding Christ in Greece.

I want to paint a picture for you...

Imagine you go to a village in Afghanistan. At this village, the people struggle to have a normal education, healthcare, and the country has been at war for decades. Terrorist organizations such as the Taliban are ever present in the life of the Afghans. The people are being killed by the Taliban and live in constant fear. Children are left as orphans, women are seen as property, and all the people are under the curse and slavery of islam. These people don’t know about Jesus, have never heard the gospel, and have never seen or read a Bible. The church meets underground, and faces persecution to the point of death. If you were to evangelize to the Afghans you face the risk of being beaten or killed.

Lets now take these same people, and put them somewhere outside of Afghanistan. Somewhere where they have civil liberties to be people. To make their own decisions, and believe what they want; not what society forces them to believe. Here, you are now able to share the gospel message with them. This message is very foreign to nearly every aspect of their lives. They learn that God is a Father, and that He is love. They learn that God has sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for their sin, and wash away all of their sin. They hear the radical statement of Jesus that says, “Love your enemies”, when they are being killed by their own people for differences in ideas.  Their need for the gospel is so deep. And as you continue to come to where they are meeting, the more and more they desire to hear about Jesus. Now, they begin to invite you to share with groups of their family and friends (at times 20-30 people). And then once you are done, some of them are so touched, they are helping pass out Bibles and tracts to their fellow Afghans.

They begin to ask questions about Jesus, and ask you to pray for them. They want to come to the Church, and attend a service.

This picture portrays what I have been experiencing here in Athens at Victoria Park this past month. There are over 100 Afghans staying in this park, and we have the privilege to meet them there with the gospel. They are so moved by the message, that they some of them (2-3) are inviting us to share it with their friends, are helping us pass out Bibles, and have called us friends. Praise God!