Macedonia - a place where conversation is not a lost art. Neighbors visit almost daily over coffee. It is not a hurried experience, but a valued time of interaction. People here speak their minds. Questions that would be rude in America ("How much money do you make?" is a popular one) are fired at will. Religion, a taboo topic among many in the west, is freely discussed without fear of offending.

What do Macedonians know of Jesus Christ? They know His name, but not His love. Most have heard of His death and resurrection, but a scant few know the significance. The term "Christian" here has mostly ethnic and political connotations. It differentiates Slavic Macedonians from their countrymen of Albanian descent, who bear the label "Muslim". Both cling to their labels more as an ethnic ID tag than a lifechanging faith. Many here are spiritually hungry. Five decades of communism left thousands of atheists, even though most maintain their Orthodox label. Those that profess to believe in God are often consumed with superstition, while the Bible collects dust on a shelf - if it is even on the shelf at all.

This mixture - a love of blunt conversation and a deep spiritual emptiness - has created a tremendous opportunity for those who would lovingly carry the gospel to the apostle Paul's old stomping grounds. Still, the harvesting is not easy. The enemy uses both scientific atheism and organized religion to oppose the simple good news of Jesus. Evangelical churches are often referred to as "cults", and such rumors can scare people away. Yet God is at work, and more and more Macedonians are receiving God's free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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