After a sad morning of cleaning the house and packing we tested the waters on going to the square in the evening and night hours.
More young people were out than in the daytime but the liberty and the interest remained the same. One conversation followed another, hour after hour, as the word of the Lord went forth. In a picture below you will see a typical argument. Two women, one an almost J.W. who denies Christ’s deity and a G.O. who defends it, take turns shouting at each other, and then take turns shouting at Angelo. He smiles, speaks to them respectfully, shows them scripture, people stop to listen for a while then move on and others stop. Sometimes these debates last half an hour or more. What is remarkable, is that most of them end with the man shaking Angelo’s hand and the old ladies hugging his neck. He does not offend but does not back down. God has sent the right man for this job.
No priest has stopped, of the dozens who come by, but this evening a nun engaged us. She could talk a mile a minute without pausing for breath and provided great insight into the beliefs of the true G.O. Let me sum it up in her words so that you can better pray for these dear souls.
1. You can only be saved if you are G.O.
2. Those not born in Greece must come to Greece and seek conversion, for the G.O. church has no responsibility to reach any non-Greek with the only way to heaven.
3. To be saved the G.O. must have infant baptism, confession of all sins to a priest, the intercession of multiple saints in the form of icons, the assistance of Mary, a life of good works, and above all humility.
4. She admitted to having all these things but said she had no way of knowing if she would get to heaven when she died.
5. The Bible is unnecessary and should not be read as only the priest can tell a person what God needs them to know.
6. It is wrong for any non-priest to speak to someone about Jesus (like we are doing).
7. A priest has an obligation to speak to a non-G.O. about Jesus only if they come to him in at a church.
I cannot tell you how long we talked with her. The sun went down, the rain came, she fought for her church and against the word of God. At one point she said she would go to the police and have us removed. A Greek man standing by said, “You know you cannot do that. They have the liberty to do this. Do not try to scare them away.” I told her that when the Apostle Paul, on whom she claims the G.O. church does rest, came to Thessalonica he was met with the same treatment by those who opposed the gospel as we were receiving from her and that she should be ashamed to be in such company.
It is easy to see why the people are in such darkness. It is easy to see why we are so hopeful that many will come to the Light.
Team one has finished its course. No one who had part in praying and planning anticipated any of what has transpired. We have no words to describe the fullness of joy we have known in our service and fellowship these two weeks. The outpouring of God’s blessings has super exceeded anything we could have expected or even hoped for. Tomorrow is a travel day, but there will be a tale to tell.
It takes a long time to stamp 15000 tracts. We got out 10000 of them in two weeks.
A man who knows the truth shows it to a man who wants it while a man who neither knows or wants it walks past
Disputes draw onlookers who get to hear the word of God
Two tourists from an American church learn about public witnessing
Our friend from last week comes back for more conversation, waits his turn to ask something of Angelo, talks of Jesus Christ. When have you seen people stand in line to ask Bible questions?
While one woman takes the good news, a nun becomes the first G.O. rep to confront us. Darkness and rain did not stop the conversation.
Bro Brent exhorts while priest with tract passes by
This dear man gives it his all day after day. Pray for God to strengthen His servant.
Fastest two weeks of our lives. Goodbyes for Team 1 the morning of May 25