SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION

Jan 2010 Innercircle Perspective

January 4th, 2010

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now (Philippians 1:2-5).

When the Apostle Paul thought of the new church in Philippi, Macedonia, his heart welled up with gratitude to the Lord. He remembered how the Lord had opened Lydia’s heart to receive the Gospel and become the first born-again Christian in Europe. He remembered how Lydia and her family, as well as the jailor and his family, were all saved and baptized during his first visit. From these first converts, the Lord had raised up a great church that faithfully prayed for the Apostle Paul and generously supported his ministry. They were his wonderful partners in the Gospel and He joyfully prayed for them.

A Year of Reductions Yet With Encouragements

As we reflect back upon the many significant events of 2009, my heart is also filled to overflowing with gratitude to the Lord, and to you, and to all our other faithful partners in the Gospel. It is He who brought all of us through the many challenges. While our ministries had to be reduced in scope by 20% or more, pastors are being trained, people are being saved, churches are being planted, orphans are being discipled, and preparations are underway for many Immanuel’s Child Christmas outreaches. And while our publications schedule had to be reduced, we are thrilled to have begun partnering with the Institute for Creation Research to make their wonderful daily devotional booklet, Days of Praise, available in the Russian language to all the Baptist Union church members in Russia.

Gratitude to Partners Faithful in Adversity

I want to especially express my deep appreciation to all our faithful partners who, in spite of extreme financial setbacks, continued to sacrificially support our ministries in the lands of Russia. Some have lost their employment. Some have experienced great business losses. And some retirement nest eggs have been substantially reduced. Some of your beloved spouses have gone to heaven and your loss is overwhelming. Our hearts and prayers are especially with you. All things considered, 2009 was a very difficult year for many precious partners in the Gospel. And yet, beloved, we have Christ and eternal blessings beyond measure. In His strength we can keep pressing on no matter what the future may bring!

And more than ever, I am extremely grateful to all who have been faithful in prayer for Louetta and me, our staff, our ministries, and for the resources that are needed to sustain our ministries. SGA founder Peter Deyneka’s well known motto continues to be most appropriate today … “Much prayer, much power; little prayer, little power; no prayer, no power!”

The New Year Reminds Me of 1990

As we launch into 2010, conditions in the lands of Russia remind me of 1990 and the great harvest that we found waiting behind the Iron Curtain. Our Creator-God, whose sovereignty governs all the nations, surprised the entire planet by bringing the 72-year communist regime reign to an abrupt conclusion. In short, 500 million who had been taught to be atheists were suddenly groping for God.

Tens of Millions of Precious Souls Are Still Groping for God

Now it is 20 years later. Tragically, in most of the former Soviet Union people are still groping for God. The number of surviving Christians in 1990 had been so small, that in spite of their zealous spreading of the Gospel, nine of ten communities are still waiting for their first Gospel witness. This leaves well more than 90,000 communities still groping for God in Russia alone. (Acts 17:27) This is the great forgotten harvest. Please join us in fervent prayer, and help us communicate this tragic situation to many faithful Christians, who can join us to help the churches of Russia gather the precious waiting souls into new Bible-preaching churches. They, too, need to experience the grace, peace and joy of eternal life. They need the confidence we have in Christ to carry them through struggles of life much harsher than we have in America.