Budapest Tomorrow

We are making preparations today to go to Budapest tomorrow. Mike is going to preach at Örömhir Misszió. We enjoy being at this church. We have become friends with many of the people there. Plus, we get to encourage the INSTE students! After church we plan to meet for lunch with Sebi Pop, son of John and Nelly Pop of the Open Bible Church in Romania. Sebi is a university student in Budapest and we are looking forward to touching base with him.

Blessed is she who has believed...

This morning I re-read one of my favorite Bible verses, Luke 1:45, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Elizabeth, full of the Holy Spirit, spoke this to Mary when she came to visit her shortly after the angel told Mary she was going to be the mother of Jesus. I was struck by the thought that Mary was not blessed because she received what the Lord had promised her, but because she believed.

I have received many promises from God through personal prophecies, God's voice in my inner spirit and that assured feeling that my prayers are being answered. These are in addition to the innumerable promises in the Bible, especially the promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. According to Luke 1:45, I am blessed when I believe what God has spoken to me.

Abraham was blessed when he believed, too. "Abraham believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6) Now that is a blessing! Abraham obeyed God, living in a foreign land where God had sent him, not yet receiving the heir God had promised, yet knowing somehow God would keep his promise to him. That's how I want to live--in the blessing of Abraham--obeying God, knowing God will keep his promises to me. That's how I want to live--in the blessing of Mary-- allowing God to do whatever he wants to with my life, knowing that he will accomplish his word to me.

The blessing is in the relationship we have with God himself as we confidently wait for the fulfillment of his never-failing word. The fulfillment of God's promise is just the icing on the cake.

Zsiros kenyér

We enjoy the custom of our church here in Debrecen where after service everyone is invited downstairs for coffee, tea and zsiros kenyér. This gives us all an opportunity to fellowship with each other for a little while after church. What is zsiros kenyér? It's bread slices spread with seasoned fat and topped with onion, green pepper, hot pepper or radish slices. The fat is usually pig fat or sometimes duck or goose fat. The treat is surprisingly tasty, even better than buttered bread.
Some of the littlest church members, however, sleep through the whole thing!

Why Do We Pray For Revival?

Nancy had mentioned earlier that several churches met together each night last week for prayer. We met in a different church each evening; spent some time in worship, praying over various themes (government, economy, families, church unity, revival, etc.), and concluded each evening by having the members of the host church coming to the front and everyone else praying for that congregation. The final evening was a 24 hour worship and prayer time. It went from 6 pm Friday to 6 pm Saturday. Several people we know made it the full 24 hours and they said it was a very blessed event. The entire week was great and everyone felt blessed by it.

During the week, however, as we were praying I felt the Lord say to me, "Mike, why are you praying for revival? What is the motive behind your prayers?" I was then reminded of James 4:2-3 which says, "... you do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives..."

Is it possible that we could be praying for revival for selfish reasons? Could it be that we want to see revival come because if people get saved there would be less alcoholism, drug problems, prostitution and pornography, crime, etc. And our life would be easier- we would not have to look at those things or deal with them any more? If the presence of God comes into a city we wouldn't have to put up with laws that go contrary to the Word of God, and we could worship and live without the possible threat of persecution. Could it be we want revival because our churches would grow and it would make us look successful? Or maybe we want to see revival come because just being in the Presence of God makes us feel good- like Peter on the mount of Transfiguration wanting to build tents so he could remain there in God's Presence (Mark 9:5-6).

But, do you remember what awaited Jesus, Peter, James and John when they came down from the mountain? A father, whose son was demon-possessed, had brought his son to the disciples (those who were not with Jesus on the mountain) but they could not deliver the boy from the bondage he was in. However, when Jesus came he immediately set the boy free. The difference, I believe, was time spent with God on the mountain. The time on the mountain in God's Presence prepared them for the need that they faced in the valley.

We do need to seek God, spend time in His Presence, have our "mountaintop experiences", and pray for revival. However, if we do this only for our benefit, we are doing it for the wrong reasons. There are people in our families, jobs, neighborhoods who are in bondage and need to be set free. Our purpose for seeking revival, then is to spend time in God's Presence so that we can be prepared, energized and "revived" in order to minister to those needs: to take what we experience on the mountain and use it to minister to the people in the valleys.

Could it be that we are not seeing revival come because we are not praying for the right reason? If we are not praying with the lost in mind, with a desire to see them saved and set free from the bondage of sin, and with a love for them that compels us to do whatever it takes to share God's love and power with them, then we are praying for the wrong reason.

Lord, send revival; but let it be a reawakening of Your love in our heart for the lost!

We haven't taken time to post this week, but we've had a wonderful, busy time. This week was prayer week in Debrecen--seven churches joined together to pray for the city and the nation. We were able to attend all but one of the services and about three hours of the 24-hour praise and worship that ended the week. It was wonderful to pray together with God's people. (This year we understood more Hungarian and were able to participate better than last year.) God is doing great things here in Hungary and we look forward to His Spirit doing much more.
Also this week we trained Misha to do some of the INSTE administrative work, registered groups for a new semester of INSTE, distributed some books, and wrote lots of letters. All that and more in addition to our usual work. What a great week!

Hungarian INSTE in Holland

A new INSTE group will be starting in March in Holland! A lot of Hungarians leave Hungary to work in other European countries where job opportunities and pay are better. A group of young Hungarian Christians started a church in Holland a couple of years ago and are now going to study INSTE in the Hungarian language in Holland! How exciting is that!

Today we met with Csaba and finished the arrangements for him to lead the group. (Csaba was visiting his parents in a village just outside of Debrecen.) He is a fine young man excited about INSTE. May the Lord bless Csaba and the new INSTE group in Holland.

Bringing Joy to Others

I (Nancy) went next door to pay the rent this week. Our landlady, Éva, and I were talking when her part time household helper, Ibolya, finished her work and sat down with us. Éva turned to Ibolya and said, "Nancy is getting better speaking Hungarian every month. And they've only lived here two years." We talked a little more and I said, "I should go home now," using a commom Hungarian phrase. Éva said to Ibolya, "Isn't that so cute!" and they both smiled really big. Éva asked me to say hi to Mike and I responded with another phrase. Éva looked at Ibolya and said, "Did you hear that?" They both chuckled a little. I don't know if I said the phrases incorrectly or mispronounced them, but this isn't the first time Hungarians have been tickled by the way I talk. Oh well, I am happy to be able to bring a little enjoyment into the lives of others.

How far?

This is Istvan and his family. Istvan and his wife were saved a year and a half ago and are actively seeking after God. They live in a town 45 kilometers (approx. 28 miles) from Debrecen, but Istvan drives in once a week to meet with his INSTE group here. Their town does not have an evangelical church, so they attend a Baptist church in a neighboring town. Istvan has told us how very happy he is that he is able to study the Word and receive such great support from his INSTE group. We pray that God will bless Istvan and all the Hungarian INSTE students as they seek the Lord, learn more about Him and work together for His Kingdom.