Wave of Confusion

This weekend, as we are commemorating the fallen soldiers in celebrating Memorial Day and hopefully also join believers worldwide in remembering the biblical events of Pentecost, groups of young people in Europe are gathering in Leipzig this weekend for the annual Wave Gothic Festival.

This musical and cultural festival draws over 20 thousand young people to Leipzig every year. The pictures below give you an idea of the scenery in Leipzig this weekend:



The EFG Jacobstrasse (our future German home church) is hosting a group of American students from Berlin who will be attending the festival in hopes of speaking with young people about Jesus. Would you pray for God to lead them to the right people? Would you pray for the students' boldness and sensitivity alike? Would you pray most of all that God would be glorified and that hearts would turn towards Jesus this weekend? Pray against evil forces and spiritual warfare surrounding the city this weekend and ask God to protect young people living in Leipzig from being drawn to a lifestyle not pleasing to Him.



I can't help but think of the events described in Acts 2 - the day of Pentecost. Almost 2000 years ago, the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers as they were gathered together, filled each one of them with His presence permanently, and enabled them to speak in various languages. The city of Jerusalem was full of Jews from all nations, each of them hearing the believers speak in their own tongue. How could this be? - they were wondering.

Of course, Peter took this occasion to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and encouraged them: "'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.'" (Acts 2:38-39) and again he said, "'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.'" (Acts 2:40)


The result? "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:41)


We serve a powerful and gracious God, sovereign over all, mighty to save, worthy of praise!

The zeal of a new believer

I (Ellen) was 17 when I became a believer. And while that means I lived 17 years building ungodly habits without knowing it, it also means that I still remember the day I became a believer (see my post in February) and I remember how my life changed. I was excitedly purging my life of ungodly things and I couldn't wait to tell everyone about my new-found hope. Sure, I got funny looks when I told some of my friends about my beliefs and I know there was gossip going around school about my having become a religious person. But I remember welcoming it, knowing that with every piece of gossip, a piece of the gospel may also be proclaimed unknowingly.

It seems the routine of daily life and the here-and-now concerns often cover up my desire to share God's love with others. I find myself selfishly seeking my own rights instead of surrendering all for the advancement of God's kingdom. That's why I love thinking back to my young believer self and learn from her zeal for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

That's why I love this story of a young man from Estonia who shares his testimony of coming to realize that the gospels touches every aspect of his life and that therefore, he simply has to share it with the people of his country.

May we be encouraged to think and do likewise.
(If you are unable to watch this video, go to josiahventure.com/video)

More recent stats

I apologize for posting a similar post just a week later. Upon further examination of the recently published study, I found more recent stats from surveys taken in 2008. Here is some interesting data:

52% of Eastern Germans do not believe in God and only 7.8% say they believe God really exists and have no doubt about it. Almost 60% of Eastern Germans say they don't believe in God and never have, while 13% say they believe in God now and always have. 8% believe in a personal God. 2.5% consider themselves to have a strong belief in God while 46% consider themselves strong atheists. Over the last 10 years, the number of people who are certain about God's existence is slightly decreasing.
 
Please, continue to pray for us as we seek to move to Leipzig and minister in this highly atheist region of the world. We are excited to go but need your help!


To become a financial supporter, just go to josiahventure.com/give/people/191. Thank you!