ìHe who believes and is baptized shall be saved. " It just doesn't get any easier than that. Anyone can understand it. Anyone can come to believe it and act upon it. It's so simple that it shouldn't take a person very long to understand it, beieve it, and act upon  it. In fact, any one who can't understand, believe, and act upon a Scripture this simple,  must not be very sincere or smart.
         But, wait a minute. Is the process of developing obedient faith really that simple?  What about folks who haven't had the advantages many of us have enjoyed? In Eastern  Europe and the CIS, we encounter people who are reading and studying the Bible for the  first time in their lives. They may or may not be using a translation that is easy for them  to read. If interested in Bible study, they have probably been exposed to a myriad of  conflicting Bible teaching. The Word of our Lord must be preached with great patience.  Given the background of most of the people we encounter in Eastern Europe and the CIS,  there is a particularly great need to heed Paul's admonition "to preach the word ... with  great patience" (2 Timothy 4:2). We must be willing to give them time and space to  think, study,and come to conviction apart from pressure or intimidation. Instant, mass  conversions may be impressive in our reports, but how much depth and stability do they  reflect? (see Matthew 13:20-21)
         Recent events in Moldova have reinforced in my mind the blessing of patience in  our teaching and the foolishness of expecting, or even desiring, instant conversions.  In  January of 1997, Greg Gwin and I had the opportunity to build upon work already done  by Steve Brewer and James Hamilton.We were introduced to and studied with two  honest, truth seekers with ties to a large group of Bible students. At the end of the month,  no one had been baptized. We left a bit disappointed.
        In April, Daniel Holloway and Johnny Felker worked with the same group of  folks, studying many of the same truths we had taught. They forged strong ties of  friendship and established their credibility as spiritually minded Bible teachers, but no  one was baptized. They left a bit frustrated.
        In June, Phil Morgan and Jimmy Mickells traveled to Chishinau for some  intensive studies with the same people.  Many of the same subjects and Scriptures that  the previous two groups addressed were debated at length. During their stay a handfull of  folks were quietiy baptized. From the way it was handled it was clear that they were not  interested in impressing their American visitors, but sincerely wanted to obey what they  had come to understand as Bible truth. Shortly before Phil and Jimmy came home, Larry  and Linda Paden arrived in Chishinau for a two month period of labor. They found a
small group of baptized believers with the potential of infuencing many, many more. To  the glory of our Lord, during their work a considerable number of the origional group of  Bible students were baptized in to Christ. After nearly seven months of intensive labor by  a variety of teachers, a wondrous amount of fruit was brought forth by the powerof the  Gospel.
        The need for patience in the Moldovan work has gone far beyond waiting for fruit  to be brought forth. Our new brothers and sisters are babes in Christ. Their knowledge  and understanding is incomplete. They struggle to practice what they understand to be  true. They have much to learn and many changes to make. Should we expect them to  learn it all and make allthe needed changes quickly? Of course not! We must be patient  as we continue to gently and lovingly help their assembly become more and more like the  church of the New Testament. We must not bully them or come with the arrogance that  so often marks the "ugly American." Step by step, little by little, truth by tnrth we can  help nurture them, giving them time to think, study, and become convicted. At this  moment, they are not doing everything according to the pattern, but with continued  patient teaching progress will be made.
        If you have any desire to travel to Eastern Europe or the CIS to teach the Bible,  but aren't blessed with patience, then please stay home (preferably in your own closet,  where you can do no harm while praying for patience). Working with people who have  little or no Bible background and are trying to learn about the Lord and His church  amidst conflicting claims requires the ability to prioritize what will be addressed and  what will be, for the moment, ignored. Effective teaching demands that we give the students whatever time they require to study, think and pray on their own.   This is not to suggest it's my judgment that everyone who has worked thus far in  Moldova has expressed perfect patience. I know it's not true, because I was there with  myself! At times I stumbled, groped, muttered, and yes, made mistakes as a result of  having an imperfect patience. Through the mistakes I have made and from conversations  with others who have made a similar confession, I have learned valuable lessons in the  need for and development of patience.
        There are a number of enemies of patience- all of which are dangerous and  deadly:
 1) Failing to deeply understand and remember where these people have come  from spiritually can lead to expectations which exceed what the real possibilities are. The  imparting of knowledge is hampered. Satan prevails.
 2) A short trip may cost the brethren $2,000 or more. This may put pressure on  the person to "have something to showî for the investment. He may push too hard for  closure on issues needing much more time. Selfish attitudes and carnal motives can creep  in. Truth suffers. Satan rejoices.
 3) Pride can sneak in easily making the man less patient. Prolonged studies can  wear on all the people involved Weariness can make patience and humility hard to maintain. Before you know it, under the guise of working through an important Biblical  issue, what you really have is a battle of wills. Patience looses. Satan wins.

 I am reminded of the agricultural truism that the seed which takes the longest to  germinate often produces the strongest plant.  Brethren, patience is an important fertilizer in the process of germinition and growth.

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