God Uses the Weak to Revive Faith Across Europe

Faith Facts

• The European Vision Workshop in Bucharest drew 110 believers praying for New Testament Christianity in post-Christian Europe.
• Wes McAdams taught that the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, can fill and revive a continent that has turned cathedrals into tourist sites.
• Christians from Ukraine, Mongolia, Romania, and beyond testified that the Spirit strengthens the weak and gives courage amid war and cultural decline.

Post-Christian Europe, home to 743 million people, rarely seems like fertile ground for the Gospel. Yet 110 believers gathered in a Bucharest hotel conference room, praying that the Spirit would breathe new life into their homelands.

The small number hardly matters when the Holy Spirit is counted.

Wes McAdams, minister for the McDermott Road Church of Christ in Plano, Texas, opened the ninth European Vision Workshop by describing the Spirit hovering over the lifeless earth in Genesis 1.

“Can we picture what is being painted here?” McAdams asked. “The Spirit of God is hovering over the lifeless earth, and he himself is full of life, full of power, full of potential, full of creative, life-giving energy.”

Using inflated and deflated balloons as a visual aid, he showed how the same Spirit that brought creation to life can fill and restore a continent that appears beyond hope.

The workshop began a decade ago in Athens when missionaries responded to waves of Middle Eastern refugees reporting dreams of Jesus. It has since moved through Italy, Slovakia, Albania, and Poland, with Sunset International Bible Institute, World English Institute, and Healing Hands International sponsoring this year’s gathering.

Claudiu Murtaza of Sibiu, Romania, prayed for the gift of English before addressing the international crowd.

“There is a war going on in each and every one of us, the war between the flesh and the Spirit,” Murtaza said, “and there is no way that we can win this war without the Holy Spirit of God.”

Vasile Iuhos of Oradea reminded listeners that kindness is a command, not an option, and that the Spirit blows away the smoke of the world.

Stas Kuropiatnykov, a Ukrainian minister and military veteran, spoke on gentleness after more than four years of war.

“When there is a lot of cruelty around you, it is very easy to allow that cruelty to settle inside you,” he said. “Gentleness is especially valuable when we have a reason not to be gentle.”

Olha Kolosha, also from western Ukraine, described a support group for those displaced by conflict and warned against minimizing the Holy Spirit’s role in protecting and empowering believers.

Greg Watson, Europe coordinator for Sunset International Bible Institute, noted the shift in language during the workshop.

“I don’t think I’ve heard anybody call the Holy Spirit an ‘it’ while we’ve been here,” Watson said. “I feel like this time together has really helped demystify the Holy Spirit.”

McAdams closed by reminding participants that they are children of God, siblings to the King, temples of the Holy Spirit, and heirs of the world to come.

“You can’t take away what matters,” he said.

Mac and Ashlee Buchanan traveled from Italy with their three children. Ashlee said the fellowship lifted their spirits after discouraging efforts to share the Gospel in Naples.

“When you go out, and you’re trying to teach other people, sometimes it’s very deflating and discouraging … so making contacts and enjoying singing with other saints has been wonderful.”

Erdenedavaa Purvee, known as Eric, and his wife Munkhzaya came from Mongolia, where roughly 40 percent of the population claims no religion.

“God uses weak people,” Purvee said, finding comfort that the Spirit works through human limitations.

He recalled Elijah’s cry that he alone remained faithful, only to learn that thousands had not bowed to false gods. In Romania, 110 believers gathered instead of thousands, yet their songs rose like angels.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.