I would think I am a harmless old guy. I am not the confrontational type and try not to provoke people unnecessarily. So I am pretty much your regular peace-loving individual. But apparently some people in Greece don’t see me that way. In fact our recent Bible distribution project was a great example of the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13. We definitely met up with some thorny and some hard characters who were not open to receiving the good news we were sharing.

“Take this rubbish and don’t clutter our neighborhood with this nonsense,” said a rather stern looking man as he collected the bag we had just placed on his gate. This wasn’t exactly the response we were hoping for as we passed out thousands of bags containing the New Testament in Modern Greek as well as an audio version on CD plus some gospel literature.

“Fyge! Fyge! Fyge!” Get out of here! Scram! We do not want you evildoers corrupting our town!” screamed another. I opened my mouth to explain that all we were doing was spreading the good news that God loves them and that we wanted to give them a free gift. But I never got more than a word or two out before he came charging towards me with clenched fists, eyes blazing and his blood pressure soaring. I decided I had better quietly withdraw before he had a heart attack or I got beaten up.

We also had a run in with the law when a police car drove up beside us on an isolated road near Corinth, Greece. “Pull over” he shouted in a voice of authority. (As the temperature was well into the 90s I knew he wasn’t wanting a warm sweater.) Someone had called the police station and reported that suspicious strangers were seen in the vicinity and it was his duty to investigate.

None of the young people had their passports with them so he said we would have to come down to the police station for questioning.  So I whipped out my Greek ID card. This seemed to ease the atmosphere and they then called into the police station to check on my police record. Fortunately, this was clean so they let us go on our way. This was a little intimidating, especially for a group of young people from sheltered Christian backgrounds, attending a Christian high school and a vibrant Christian church – their only crime was spreading the good news.

History Repeats Itself
In this situation I could identify with the Apostle Paul when he got rather despondent with the Jews in the Corinthian area and was tempted to move on to more fertile fields. But God spoke to him in a vision one night, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” (Acts 18:9-10, NLT)

Over the past few centuries there have been many missionaries who have come to Greece and simply given up. They found the work too difficult and the people unresponsive. They echoed the words of the spies entering the Promised Land, “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are. All the people there are giants and next to them we felt like grasshoppers.” Numbers 13.31-33

What Was Accomplished?
So what can a small, ill-equipped mission group accomplish in this spiritually and geographically barren terrain? The truth is we will never know until we get to heaven. We have just completed Operation Joshua 4, when in just 6 days, 103,528 Greek households received copies of the New Testaments and audio CD’s in Modern Greek, in 866 villages. 72158 Kilometers were driven (that’s almost twice the circumference of the earth), on some of Europe’s most dangerous roads, with no major accidents! This involved some 270 volunteers, with 17 nationalities being represented in total.

For a country that has never experienced a reformation or a revival or any major mass evangelistic crusade, this constitutes a huge, historical and remarkable event. Of one thing we can be sure, many lives have been touched. And maybe that longed for revival is about to break forth. “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12, NLT)

I also took comfort in another scripture as well – “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” (Isaiah 55:11, NLT)

 A not so warm welcome to the Good News in Greece

  I would think I am a harmless old guy. I am not the confrontational type and try not to provoke people unnecessarily. So I am pretty much your regular peace-loving individual. But apparently some people in Greece don’t see me that way. In fact our recent Bible distribution project was a great example of the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13. We definitely met up with some thorny and some hard characters who were not open to receiving the good news we were sharing.

“Take this rubbish and don’t clutter our neighborhood with this nonsense,” said a rather stern looking man as he collected the bag we had just placed on his gate. This wasn’t exactly the response we were hoping for as we passed out thousands of bags containing the New Testament in Modern Greek as well as an audio version on CD plus some gospel literature.

“Fyge! Fyge! Fyge!” Get out of here! Scram! We do not want you evildoers corrupting our town!” screamed another. I opened my mouth to explain that all we were doing was spreading the good news that God loves them and that we wanted to give them a free gift. But I never got more than a word or two out before he came charging towards me with clenched fists, eyes blazing and his blood pressure soaring. I decided I had better quietly withdraw before he had a heart attack or I got beaten up.

We also had a run in with the law when a police car drove up beside us on an isolated road near Corinth, Greece. “Pull over” he shouted in a voice of authority. (As the temperature was well into the 90s I knew he wasn’t wanting a warm sweater.) Someone had called the police station and reported that suspicious strangers were seen in the vicinity and it was his duty to investigate.

None of the young people had their passports with them so he said we would have to come down to the police station for questioning.  So I whipped out my Greek ID card. This seemed to ease the atmosphere and they then called into the police station to check on my police record. Fortunately, this was clean so they let us go on our way. This was a little intimidating, especially for a group of young people from sheltered Christian backgrounds, attending a Christian high school and a vibrant Christian church – their only crime was spreading the good news.

History Repeats Itself
In this situation I could identify with the Apostle Paul when he got rather despondent with the Jews in the Corinthian area and was tempted to move on to more fertile fields. But God spoke to him in a vision one night, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” (Acts 18:9-10, NLT)

Over the past few centuries there have been many missionaries who have come to Greece and simply given up. They found the work too difficult and the people unresponsive. They echoed the words of the spies entering the Promised Land, “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are. All the people there are giants and next to them we felt like grasshoppers.” Numbers 13.31-33

What Was Accomplished?
So what can a small, ill-equipped mission group accomplish in this spiritually and geographically barren terrain? The truth is we will never know until we get to heaven. We have just completed Operation Joshua 4, when in just 6 days, 103,528 Greek households received copies of the New Testaments and audio CD’s in Modern Greek, in 866 villages. 72158 Kilometers were driven (that’s almost twice the circumference of the earth), on some of Europe’s most dangerous roads, with no major accidents! This involved some 270 volunteers, with 17 nationalities being represented in total.

For a country that has never experienced a reformation or a revival or any major mass evangelistic crusade, this constitutes a huge, historical and remarkable event. Of one thing we can be sure, many lives have been touched. And maybe that longed for revival is about to break forth. “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12, NLT)

 “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” (Isaiah 55:11, NLT)

It has been some time since the Apostle Paul wrote his two letters to the Corinthians.

In the week of July 21 -28  some 750 villages and towns in the area surrounding Corinth, Greece will again be receiving the letters from Paul, as well as the rest of the New Testament writers.

Around 250 volunteers from around the world will take part in a mass distribution of scriptures to 120,000 homes in the area. The copies of the New Testament will be in modern Greek published by the Bible Society. They will also receive a audio recording of the New Testament in modern Greek on a DVD plus some gospel literature.

Very few Greeks own a copy of the Bible as it is regarded as a study book for theologians and clergymen. And not intended to be read by the masses. Those that do possess a copy of the Bible treat it more as a good luck charm or an ornament.

During this project 120,000 households will be receiving a beautifully bound copy of the New Testament in a language they would expect to find in their daily newspaper. It is the sort of Greek the venerable apostle would have used if he had been sending out his epistles today.

The campaign is being organized by Hellenic Ministries, a Greek-based evangelistic mission operating out of Athens, Greece. The mission was started by Costas and Alky Macris who had returned from their own work as pioneer missionaries in Irian Jaya for health reasons and immediately began a new ministry in their native Greece.

This project is the biggest evangelistic effort in the long history of Greece. When Paul wrote his two epistles to the Corinthians it was probably delivered to a small handful of believers, who were facing real problems. This time 120,000 homes will have access to the Word of God as found in the New Testament. Remembering that ". the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." (Hebrews 4:12, NLT)

Johnathan Macris, President of Hellenic Ministries, and his small staff are confident that the area will be greatly impacted for "the entrance of Your word brings light, it brings understanding to the simple." (Ps 119.130). Their vision is to distribute a million copies of the New Testament throughout rural Greece. Over the past few years 224,000 New Testaments have already been distributed to homes across Greece.

The ages of the volunteers ranges from pre- adolescent teens to senior citizens. They come as individuals, church groups, and families - all with the sole aim of getting the writings of Paul and his fellow New Testament writers to the masses.

How the Apostle Paul would have loved to have had such an enthusiastic, energized group at his disposal. Before the campaign has even started there is evidence of mounting opposition.  The national Greek Orthodox Church has posted a message on its website warning parishioners to avoid any contact with “this group of heretics spreading false teachings amongst our people.”  Sounds like history is repeating itself.   "They (the Jewish elders) accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”" (Acts 18:13, NLT)

For further information about this great project contact Dr. Nico Bougas, International Coordinator of Hellenic Ministries: nico@bougas.info