Be an Example

On the way home from language class the other day, we passed by the Diosd cemetary. There was a funeral in progress. My heart was stricken at the brevity of life and how few people know Christ. Our teacher was just telling us that here in Hungary, there is no cultural Christian background which people grow up with. You would be surprised at how much the cultural Christianity influences our society in America. Here, people have grown up with atheism and cultural Catholicism and have never attended church. Many have never seen a real Christian and have not grown up knowing what the ten commandments are, have never attended a VBS, or don't know the basic Bible stories. Morality standards don't exist. Christianity is an entirely new culture, and this is radical change. Janos is a great teacher. One of his techniques is to teach us samples in Hungarian - "This is a ________." Then, we can apply the sample to any situation or sentence. I related this thought to being a Christian "sample" here in Hungary. If there is true sample of what Christ is, then there is something by which people can compare their lives to. A Christian will be the same in any culture, in any place in the world. By the way, Janos is also a pastor. He has helped start several churches, and even helped smuggle Bibles into Romania during communism. His entire life has been an offering and a living sacrifice to the Lord. We are to be His examples, a true sample, a salted life, a fragrant aroma, a light....