UNITY AND TEAM WORK Seminary

The "Way of Faith" Church, organized on the 20Th of June, a Seminary about 'Unity and Team Work'. We invited Pastors and leaders from different Churches in Romania, from Cluj, Deva, Turda and Germany.

The speakers focused on the theme of the Seminary, and we believe that both through The Word that was shared as through the fellowship that we had, God brought us even closer in Unity with each other.

Pastor Rareş Călugăr, shared with us what God has revealed to him about this, from 1 Kings 5:5-6. For the building of the Temple, Solomon, has asked for help from the Sidonians because they were more skilled in felling timber. To build The Body of Christ, we also need to recognize when other ministries are more skilled than us in certain areas, and due to that recognition we should humble ourselves and ask for help, because we are building together The Kingdom of God and not our own ministry.

The "Petra" Church, from Cluj, encouraged us to live victorious in The Body of Christ and pray for this nation day and night.

Dirk Weits, a Belgian missionary that serves The Lord in Deva, Romania, shared how he feels that we should focus more on the things that unite us rather than those that separate us. We should stay in the Word of God and trust The Holy Spirit to reveal that Word to us.

Elmar Drossler, German missionary, spoke about the way he feels that Churches should be a standard of morality in the world. He also shared the way he feels that God has called him to build bridges between the different ministries.

Pastor Helmuth Schuller, from "Emanuel" Church in Turda, shared with us what he felt God spoke to him through all the other speakers and encouraged us to walk in the things we have hared.

Finally, Ionel Sauciuc, coordinator of a network of Independent Churches, in our area, talked about the way Christians are like soldiers and if they want to please their commanding officer, they don't get involved with civilian affairs. We should stay pure in an impure world and represent God especially through Unity.

We have been encouraged and built up, ready to move forward, to rejoice in the things that unite us and show love when it comes to the things that separate us.

The key to success

Today we are overwhelmed by all kinds of recipes for success and books about success and how to have success. All these, talk about men and women that are successful in the eyes of people. This kind of success is measured in numbers, in how much money you got, the car you drive or the house you own, the studies and the job you have, or how well known you are to people. Is that the standard according to which a Christian's success should be measured? Or better yet, can you really measure your success here on earth? If this life is all you're living for, then yes, but if you live your life for eternity, then no. Your success will be truly known only when you will be facing your Creator.
The people that don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, they are looking for success in the things that will not last, and likely they will find it, but that's all that their life will be, a chase after things that can't really fulfill you.
We have the recipe that works for a life of fulfillment. Jesus said 'So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:31-34
Jesus is showing us the right motivation for this life. He is telling us what we should be focusing on. If what we're looking for is to be fulfilled in Christ and have peace with God, then our search should be around one thing alone, which is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If my main concern is to know the will of God for my life and where He wants me to be, then all things will work together for my good and He will take care of my every need. All decisions you take should be based on what God wants from you. First of all you have to be committed to a local church, to feel connected to that body and be under a spiritual authority. Then, together with your pastor you should try and find God's call for your life. You must see the gifts that were given to you and you must learn how to use them to bless others. Your entire life must circle around this call. When you are faced with a choice, the first thing you must ask yourself is if the plans you are about to make are according to His word and your call. If you do that then you will be a balanced person, you will not be leaded by your emotions nor your circumstances, but all the decisions you'll take will be blessed by God. More so, you will see God's favor in your life, and His blessing both spiritual and material. You will have peace in your heart and God will lead your every step. My advice to you is seek His face first.
If you're not married yet and maybe you long to have a family, focus on being fulfilled in Christ first. If you are already marred and you want a good future for you and your family, seek to understand what God wants from you first. If you have a specific need (a healing, or financial blessing) don't focus all your attention on the problem or on the need you have, seek His face . Your answer might come from the last place you can imagine, but it won't matter because God will help you due to the fact that you are in His will and you seek His kingdom first. Why should you waste precious time focusing on your need, when you can be used by Him?
When I was 21, I chose to put my life in His hands, and i made a deal with God. I told Him 'God I will do you will and seek your face and kingdom first, but you have to take care of me and my family.' It's bee 8 years since then, and God has been more than faithful. I want to continue to live my life according to this principle. Jesus said 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.' Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus is making a deal with us. He wants us to trade your burden and worries for his peace and rest. All that a man is looking fr in this life is to be happy and fulfilled. But looking for this you end up chasing ghosts our entire life and getting utterly tired of everything. If you will seek His Kingdom first, you will find rest for your soul. Live according to this, and want to be pleasing to God more than you want to be pleasing to people. Success in the eyes of people doesn't compare with success in the eyes of God.

Servant of Jesus
Pastor Călugăr Rareş

Live according to the call God has for your life

Do we live according to the call God has for us through Jesus Christ?

Paul was praying for the Ephesians : 'I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.' - Ephesians 1:17-19

What is our attitude towards the things we have to go through every day, or the different circumstances that we face? Do we have a living hope in a living God? Or are we just barelly surviving without any hope?

You and I are not alone in this battle. We have a Spirit of wisdom and we have a divine revelation of what every trial and every situation means and does in our life. We are not lead by fear, nor hopelessness, nor bad news, because we know The Light and we tasted God and saw that He's good, so we know that God's strength itself works within us. That is the reason why I want to encourage you to see yourself through the eyes of God and live according to the call you have, meaning to live a holy life. Why should you be satisfied with the scraps that fall off the table of those that live by the Spirit? Why should you just be a spectator to other people's Christianity? Why would you be happy to sit aside and live by your emotions and just listen to nice stories of people that have great experiences with The Lord, when God Himself calls you to all the riches of his grace that you inherited through Jesus?

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

God chose you, paid a price for your life, took you out of the darkness, and He did all that for the sole purpose of enabling you to declare His praises, and the power of His Kingdom. But in order to get there, you must start living with great expectations. Be confident in that which He placed within you through the Holy Spirit, and choose to live as a conqueror not a victim of your circumstances.

2 Peter 1:1-12

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.'

You have received a faith of untold value and you too have all of God's tools, and that's why you too can live a life filled with spiritual riches, at the level that God has called you to live through the Holy Spirit. God did His part. So now, if we realize the great price He paid for our lives, and the wonderful things He prepared for us through Jesus, then we will do our best to do all those things that Peter points out.

Paul, is telling the Ephesians to stop living like pegans do and 'with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.' - Ephesians 4:22-24

That's where God wants us to be. In the place where our minds can be made new and have within itself the mind of Christ. Then we will not be lazy nor lacking fruits. Today I want to dare you to raise up to the level God wants you to live. Not in a mediocre kind of life, not being a Sunday morning Christian, not living someone else's convictions, but having a true relationship with a Holy and Faithful God.

„For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.“ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Servant of Jesus

Pastor Rares Calugar