Friday, the 22nd of May, came in to the world a really beautiful baby boy, named Lucas Eliot Calugăr, the son of Rares and Nicoleta Calugăr, our Pastors.
May he grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Authentic Christianity

The word authentic, means = worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact, conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features, made or done the same way as an original, not false or imitation, real, actual, genuine, being actually and exactly what is claimed, authentic implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact, it can also stress painstaking or faithful imitation of an original.
Is your Christianity according to Biblical truth? Do you live something real, something that comes from your every day experience with God? Or is your Christianity something dictated by others, something unnatural, false, a Christianity that lacks essence?
When David wanted to fight Goliath, Saul dressed him up with his heavy armor and his sword, but David couldn't move with those on. The same thing happens when others try to teach you "their way of fighting' and try to 'dress us up' with new rules and tactics, that for sure work in their case, but is useless in our case and to our relatioship with God. David had a good and strong relatoship with God, a relationship built in intimacy, siplicity, and he was aware of what God can do for him, that's why he didn't need Saul's war strategy nor the tools that Saul used and were helpful to him.
A good example for my point, are vegetables. There are vegetables that are grown in a very natural way, without adding anything to them, but most vegetables are grown with all kinds of chemical compounds that makes them look incredible. The ones that are 'forced' to grow look really good on the outside, but have no taste. It's the same with many Christians today.
We look good on the outside, we show what people want to see, and that's all we care about, but sadly we have no taste. Jesus was telling his disciples:
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5:13
What do we look like on the inside? What do we taste like? Are we just "good looking" Christians that have a certain charisma? Are we the kind of Christians that try to sell a 'a good product' which is Jesus?
What is the fragrance we spread around us? Is it the holy perfume of Christ, or is it a man made perfume?
The 21st Century Church has created it's own perfume, it's own look, a good image, but sadly, lacking any real taste.
What kind of vegetable or fruit would you prefer? One that looks good but has no taste, or one that doesn't look that great but has a great taste? I prefer the second choice. But those kind of fruits and vegetable can't really be found in our supermarkets, much like you can't find real Christians in our Super Churches. Due to our desire to look 'spiritual' (of course to look spiritual in the Church, because we don't want to seem fanatics to the people in the world) we jump major steps in our Christianity. Our every day life doesn't reflect the image of Christ. If you would be named the ambassador of Romania in America, you wouldn't behave in a sloppy manner, now would you? I don't think so. You know why? Because you would have a boss that would fire you for misrepresenting an entire nation. It's sad that we, as ambassadors of God's kingdom on earth, don't really care about the impression we give to the people in the world, and even worse, we don't fear (respect) our 'boss'. I am tired of empty words made up to seem spiritual, words that are not followed by action and a fake living compared to what you pretend you are when you go to Church. If I wouldn't be a Christian, I wouldn't want this kind of Christianity. The essence of Christianity is proved in our every day living.
When Jesus talks about the salt of the earth, he addresses a question that we should ask ourselves as well. If the salt will lose it's taste, how will it ever recover that attribute? How can we get recover our flavor and the strength to be salt again for those around us? We find a little bit of the answer in John 15. If we remain in Him and if His words remain in us, we will bring forth fruit, because apart from Him we can do nothing. He is the vine, we are the branches. Our life comes from being in the vine. It's from Him that we get our taste. You don't have o try to hard, it's not something you force to happen, it's a natural flow that comes from the surse, which is Jesus, and it flows towards the others. I want to dare you to discover the simplicity of the authentic Christianity, just the way the first Christians lived it in Antioch, a plesant perfume that spreaded from Christ to others, and it's the same perfume that got you as well.
'Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.' 1 Peter 3:3-4
Treasure the intimacy you have with Christ, be transformed by Him, and don't jump over major steps that are crucial in knowing Him. Christianity is not a race, it's a marathon.

Servant of Jesus
Pastor Rareș Călugăr

Payer for the Church

Some time ago, God spoke to our Pastor, about having a time of fasting, all throughout the month of May, starting Friday evening and ending Saturday evening.
We've been challenged to seek God's face and pick an hour, during this time, when to pray for our Church. Everyone of us chose to give up on something they love doing and that would be the thing they're fasting from. For instance, some chose to fast from food, others by not watching TV, others computer, others thoughts, and so on.
Last week was the first time we did this as a Church, and we all felt the benefits, not only during the sermon, but during the praise and worship, during prayer and not least in our relationships with one another.
Here are some of the things we bring before the Lord:

- To see born again Orthodox Christians in Cluj and in Romania

- For our loved ones that we want to see saved

- For disciples, not multitudes that are just amazed by miracles. For people that we can invest in, like Paul did with Timothy.

- At least one baptism in our Church this year

- Healthy relationships and unity between the people that come to the Church

- Emotional healing and spiritual restoration

- Church services that honor Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to be present

- For every message that we hear each Sunday, to be inspired by the Holy Spirit that would bring lasting fruit in the lives of those that listen to it

- For spiritual growth and maturity in our relationship with God

We know that we ask these things for God's glory and not for our own vanity, we come before Him not in our own merits but in The mighty Name of Jesus and so we have every right to believe that the things we are asking for will be given to us.

Amen.

For those of you that decided to pray for the Church, here's a schedule for 8Th/9Th of May. Try to also bring before the Lord the person that is after you and try to encourage him/her by sending a text message or an e-mail, or however God is leading you.
May God bless you all and strengthen your faith.

Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.