All Things are Possible: four lives touched by Jesus in Poland

A passage from Matthew 19:25 portrays the disciples as they realize how difficult it is for human beings to break the mold of their set behavior. “Who then can be saved?”, they ask Jesus in astonishment. He looks them in the eye and answers: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” It seems that the disciples’ question frequently mirrors our own frustrations. A nonbeliever friend keeps on rejecting the gospel, claiming that he or she “will never change”. A person we have been faithfully lifting up in prayer is still embroiled in the same sin. A situation continues to look hopeless despite our heartfelt prayers and endeavors. Indeed, the world around us would tell us that our existence is always hemmed in by numerous factors: the social stratum we were born into, our genetic and biological makeup, our upbringing, the career path we have chosen and the imperfect decisions we have made. There is no turning back, no starting with a clean slate, no possibility of change or healing. But the world lies: there is always a way out. It is called REPENTANCE.

Poland’s spiritual needs might seem staggering at first glance. Fortunately, God has a group of determined people in Poland – determined to work the impossible by His amazing grace. Christians involved in numerous ITMI projects have seen this wonder play itself time and time again before their very eyes.

The caretakers at the Bread of Life’s transitional home, the New Life Center came close to writing Adam off as a hopeless case. Adam’s blatant disregard for the program rules regularly made him a nuisance to the staff and other residents alike. Finally Irek, one of the therapists, took Adam out into the fields, put a shovel in his hand and told him to dig himself a grave. “This is where your lifestyle of addictions is leading you,” Irek said. Adam was shaken. He soon lost the battle to his old habits, however, and ran away from the center. When two NLC therapists visited him in hopes that they could persuade him to return, they were literally thrown out of his apartment. They went home believing that Adam was done for. But no sooner had the door closed after them than God touched Adam’s heart. The man called the center and begged to be allowed back. Since then, he gave his life totally under the dominion of Jesus, and has remained clean, not touching drugs nor alcohol.

Humanly speaking, Arek was predestined for a second-hand life. Raised up in a miserable burrow of an apartment by his mentally deficient mother, he quickly fell into the company of likewise disillusioned boys. He was about to hit the skid row – when God intervened. “Accidentally”, thanks to the donation of an American sponsor, Arek made it to a Christian camp co-organized by ITMI’s Jim LaRose and his co-workers, Lukasz and Asia Mikolajczyk. There was nothing lovable about this short and scrawny rebel, but the camp staff was able to look at him through the Lord’s eyes. After the camp was over, members of Gniezno Baptist Church took Arek under their wing. Jim regularly did staple shopping for Arek’s mom. Often, he invited Arek over for the weekends, so the boy could hang out with some Christian peers. Four years later, Arek again went to the Gniezno Church children’s camp this July – as one of the staff members. Dependable and caring, he is a diligent helper at children outreach clubs in Gniezno, and he continues to grow in his faith. God has used a body of determined believers to work a 180° change in Arek’s life, and is quickly multiplying their impact as Arek serves Him faithfully.

In a similar way, God used the Word Zone, the small non-denominational fellowship created in Poznan, Poland after one of Gospel Joy Workshops. Gospel music is about worship, but how can you enter into God’s presence without ever having experienced that “happy day when Jesus washed [your] sins away”? The people of Poland usually think of worship either as attainable through fulfilling various religious rites, or merely as an emotional high. With this need in mind, the Word Zone squad organized a week-long Gospel camp at the beginning of July 2007. It quickly turned out that the participants’ goal was not only to hone their singing skills, but primarily to establish a living relationship with God’s only Son! Guest musicians and workshop leaders, Brian Fentress of Phoenix, Arizona, and Allan Wilt-shire from Atlanta, Georgia did not mince words while addressing the campers: “Gospel music is about a real friendship with God. If you don’t have it, don’t even bother singing.” The response of the participants was heartwarming. “I learned more about worship in one week than I had throughout the entire last year!”, exclaims one of them. “What happened during the camp surpassed my wildest dreams... I feel that my family has grown in numbers!” As a result of the camp, many former captives were set free to taste the exuberant joy God has planned for His children.

Greg came to the Lord through the Philip Project, which uses Dr. Piotr Zaremba’s new translation of the Bible, along with a series of short study guides, to present the Word of Truth clearly. “When I was reading the gospel of John with the help of the study guide,” remembers Greg, “I often wanted to answer the questions with the first thing that came to my mind, quickly, without looking for hints in the Scripture. Then, when I started to turn to the Word for answers, they proved to be totally different than what I had in my mind.” Indeed, there is wonder working power in the Word of God, if only its seed falls on an understanding heart. By God’s grace, the New Testament in an
understandable, contemporary language, prepared by Dr. Zaremba and his team, is already at the press, and people not only in Poland, but also in Polish communities abroad are waiting eagerly for its publication. It is the prayer of the translators that the new version will transform Polish people’s thinking about God and His plan for humanity.

In a world that does its utmost to overwhelm and disillusion, the Lord’s hand “is not shortened, that it cannot save” (Isa 59:1a). The stories recounted above are merely tips of an iceberg: there is always so much more going on under the surface, as the ministries receive support from believers all around the world, in prayer, money or workers. Thanks be to God who allows us all to work the impossible, together as one organism, whose joints and muscles are set in motion by His freeing grace.

by Carolyn Zaremba