Center Prayer Walk

Dying without Jesus

As we walk through beautiful Prilep, we often see posters advertising plays or concerts coming up posted on telephone poles or windows of shops. Many times there are political banners and signs also, promoting a political figure or party. However, we continued to see a certain sign around town and couldn't figure out what it was for. These signs were posted on the front of peoples' houses and gates, on apartment buildings and on telephone poles. Many of them were posted outside the hospitals. Each one had a different person's picture on it, often with a cross, and then some writing in Cyrillic that I couldn't read. So, finally, we asked our language tutor, and she informed us that it is a notice of death. Everywhere one is posted, someone has died close by. Now I don't understand why this is done, but I can tell you that it is a sure reminder of how many people are dying without Jesus.
So many of these people were religious people; I'm sure each one claimed to be Orthodox. However, the problem therein lies that Orthodoxy isn't the ticket to heaven. Neither is being a Baptist. One of my favorite sayings is: "Going to church makes you just as much of a Christian as sitting in your garage makes you a car. But at least in going to church you may learn how to be a Christian; whereas in sitting in your garage it's impossible to become a car."
The true salvation message is what is lacking here; it is what we bring. It is not tradition, a ritual, or a repeated prayer. It doesn't come from nationalistic pride or from genetics or from being associated with a church. It is a personal decision out of recognizing a need for a Savior. But how can they believe whom they haven't heard?

Market Prayer Walk

Please pray as you feel led...