Worthy of persecution

Twenty-one Lithuanians accepted Christ in the first four months of 2008, and many others are turning to believers with their spiritual questions. International Mission Board missionaries Milton and Lara Magalhaes rejoice over the signs of such fruit—especially when the enemy’s distractions draw people away from the Gospel message.

Catholicism
Roman Catholicism reigns over other religions in Lithuania, with approximately 79 percent of the population claiming membership. Small churches sit in nearly every village throughout the country, while the national Catholic cathedral stands central in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital.

Although religion is not new to the country’s scene, it seems to be more of a hindrance than an aid to Lithuanian believers trying to spread the truth of God’s Word.

“I used (mass attendance) to make people think I was a church person, but I was not a believer. I believe people pay more attention to the rituals of the church than to the love of Christ,” said Gitanas Savanoris, a member of Silute Evangelical Baptist Church (SEBC).

“The bottom line is people do not know the real God. They look for other gods or they just adapt to life in sin,” he said. “People say they are believers, but their lives show … they do not know Jesus Christ, who has risen.”

Mindaugas Stonys, a 26-year-old member of a church plant in Vilnius, said fear drives some of his peers away from a relationship with Christ.

“Some are afraid of giving their whole lives to Jesus and afraid of their lives totally changing,” he said. “It is different than the Catholic Church when people go (to Mass) just out of tradition. People … don’t want to change.”

SEBC leader Rimas Seliauskas agrees, noting that misconceptions of Christianity also play factors.

“People are afraid of something new,” he said. “Everyone thinks because they are Catholic, they are Christian. They don’t know what it means to be born again or saved.”

Rimas said older-generation Lithuanians typically believe Baptists are members of a sect that encourages the eating of children. He said if a person does not claim Catholicism, then they are labeled as a traitor.

However, Rimas also pointed out that younger people no longer view Baptists as betrayers, but are more open to the idea of a different denomination.

Modernization/materialism
The tags of purses in downtown Vilnius boast the equivalent of $5,000 prices, while Lara has seen dresses that cost as much as $6,000.

Lithuanians have experienced economic ups and downs as a country, with their current financial state seeming to be separating the “haves” from the “have nots.” Lara said with modernization and monetary security come other distractions.

“It makes it harder to spread the Gospel,” she said. “People have so many other things to fill that void—money, education, travel, just things to buy.”

Lara said people were wealthy during communism, but had few spending options. Now they have lower incomes, but so many choices of how to use their money.

“We went from nothing to freedom,” Gitanas said, “and material things we can obtain have become gods.”

Emanuelis Kinas, pastor of Good News Baptist Church in Klaipeda, said Lithuanians do not know true freedom.

“Some people think money is freedom. People are concerned with fleshly things and materialism,” he said. “Now money is a new god.”

Suicide
“My father killed himself.”

Rimas was in his 30s before his father decided to take his life, and was able to see the negative impact of his dad’s lack of a relationship with Christ.

“His spiritual foundation was Catholic. He … only saw religious things. ‘You must do that, you must feel guilty of your sins.’ No one showed them grace, real grace, that God is love,” he said.

Fortunately, Rimas’ father made Jesus his Lord one week before his death.

“If we don’t share Christ, people are dying … without (Him),” Milton said.

Mindaugas was 19 when he was the first person to discover his mother had hanged herself. He now prays for the salvation of his father and brother.

“Jesus was always with me during this very hard time,” Mindaugas said. “It was a difficult time, but Jesus keeps us to go forward.”

With a populace of 3.6 million, Lithuania currently holds the world’s highest suicide rate at 38.6 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. In comparison, the U.S. suicide rate is 11 per 100,000.

Call to prayer
Rimas asks for believers to lift up Lithuanians who have accepted Christ.

“Pray for people to go to church,” he said. “Satan is still strong, but I know God is stronger and knows how to take this victory.”

Milton agrees, knowing the struggles he and other believers face are only proof of God’s work.

“We count everything as a blessing,” he said. “We have to be doing something right. We count ourselves worthy of persecution.”

Consider partnering with Milton and Lara in 2009 to be involved in loving Lithuanians through the barriers and helping believers plant a dozen churches within the next 12 years. Contact these missionaries at milton@everyheart.net, +370-611-212-72 or on Skype (username “miltonandlara”).

Posted by Natalie Kaspar on Sep 15, 2008

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