The Desperate Need for Christ in Germany

When speaking about living here as missionaries we are often asked, "Why Germany?" As if to say, "what needs could they possibly have?" Well I can tell you this, there is a tremendous need for Jesus Christ here. Especially Berlin, and any part of former East Germany, for that matter. I have a few statistics to help reveal this need, although it still will not do justice to the desperation and loneliness that is felt so greatly here every day. The percent of committed Christians in Germany is maybe at 3 or 4 percent. Thirty percent belong to a Protestant church nominally. A mere 0.5 percent belong to a free evangelical church. Non-religious people, including atheists and agnostics might make as many as 55%, and are especially numerous in the former East Germany and major metropolitan areas. You really can see the effect of this in the atmosphere of Berlin where just 1.5 percent of people attend a Protestant church. If you add the 0.5 percent of the free evangelical church goers, you end up with just 68,000 church goers out of 3.4 million people. Now to be fair, this does not account for the Roman Catholic Church, which claims 32 percent of the population for its members. But again that is just membership, different from the amount who actually go to church.

According to a poll by Der Spiegel magazine, 45% believe in God, and just 25% believe in Jesus Christ. We experienced this on Saturday as we talked with an older man, about 70 years of age, who was a firm atheist. He was actually laughing as we shared about just the possibility that God exists, as if we were incredibly stupid for not seeing all the signs of nothing, becoming everything that we see today, just through time and chance. As for Jesus Christ, he firmly believed that he never even walked this earth. I took some change out of my pocket and dropped it on the ground. Then I asked him if he were to walk by and see the change lying there, would he assume that the change just "happened" to fall out and land that way? He said, "Of course!" Then I carefully stacked all of the coins, in order, on top of each other and asked him the same question. To my surprise, he said, "Well it still could have happened." So fearful of the responsibility of a relationship with an Almighty God, yet so desperate for that very thing, which is the only thing that could truly satisfy his soul.

As I had mentioned earlier, the state of darkness is far worse in former East Germany, than in the West. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of East Germans—compared with 30 percent of West Germans—know virtually nothing about Christianity. In the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt only 19.7 percent belong to either the Protestant Church or the Roman Catholic Church. This is the state where Martin Luther was born. That is membership, not attendance, which is much less. Next Saturday we will be visiting this area, specifically Wittenberg, where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses 495 years ago. Perhaps you are reading this and are moved, but dont really know what you can do. Pray. Pray. Pray for the work here in Germany. We want our times of evangelism to be so powerful and effective, the church to increase with the increase of God. Thank you so much for your prayers and your support.

Trip to Heidelberg and Visit From Pastor Gary

We had an encouraging trip to Heidelberg this past weekend. Stephan and Mindy Stein, Fuad, and I left Berlin in a small snow storm and followed the storm 600 kilometers South to Heidelberg. Needless to say that made the normal 6 hour trip longer. I believe it took us about 8 hours, but we made it safely. Thankfully we had a 4 wheel drive SUV with snow tires. It was so great to see the body of Christ both in Heidelberg and Kitzingen. God is so faithful to work in our lives while flooding us with His grace and love, thereby enabling us to grow in that very grace and love. This is what we witnessed in Heidelberg and Kitzingen.

The road conditions....

We met for the weekly Bible Study Thursday night, but not before meeting up with Pastor Gary.

One thought that Pastor Groenewold shared: The loudest place in the world is not a rock concert, but it is when I am alone. The noise of projections and my own thoughts become so loud when I am alone. This is why the Body of Christ is so healthy for me as a believer. However, I can be in the body, but not really submitted, then I am still alone in the midst of the body. Oh to be submitted to the will of God in the Body of Christ!

On Friday we drove 2 hours East, Northeast to Kitzingen. We had a great time in the Word of God that evening with some people that came from Heidelberg and the people that Pastor Petri has been ministering to there in Kitzingen.

Then we had the pleasure of bringing Pastor Gary back to Berlin with us for our service Sunday. What an encouraging time.

Trust and Obey

Success for a missionary is not taking the Gospel to new lands and establishing the Christian church there. That is what God does, and He does it in His way and in His timing. Success for a missionary, as for any Christian, is being obedient to God's will. In Matthew 16:18 it says the Church is built UPON Christ and BY Christ. So often we feel like we must succeed at building the Church, or as a leader/missionary, that we are the reason the Church is or isn't doing well, but we must not get our values mixed up. Christ is the ONLY capable one among us, we are all absolutely nothing without Him. That is why our obedience to His will is so important. God is able to move and work through our obedience, not through our own execution of our ability. Trust and obey.