SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION

Mar 2010 Innercircle Perspective

March 1st, 2010

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).

One of the most tragic things in all the world is how, for 2,000 years, hundreds of millions of people throughout the globe who call themselves Christians have been trying to be good enough to earn their way to heaven. When I first started to minister in the lands of Russia more than 20 years ago, I often visited Russian Orthodox churches and even Russian Orthodox seminaries. I witnessed to many priests, especially young men and seminary students. When discussing the Gospel, I would emphasize this clear passage of Scripture and would always receive the same response. “We know what the Bible says, but we have a higher authority, the oral traditions of our early church fathers.”

In His sovereign grace, the Lord has granted every true Christian saving faith to enable us to embrace the glorious Gospel and to trust in Christ alone for our salvation. The truth is so remarkably amazing, and seemingly illogical, that without God’s work in their heart, a person cannot accept it. And yet it is an historical fact. God the Father sent His beloved Son from the glories of heaven to earth to save His people from their sins. He did it by giving us the unspeakable gift, the gift of His perfect Son to suffer the most horrible death to pay for our sins. Then He gave us the faith that enables us to fully grasp this marvelous truth and personally appropriate it to change our hearts and lives.

Through His wonderful sovereign grace, we have been reborn and made new creatures in Christ Jesus for the purpose of living as His workmanship, consistently manifesting goodness to others and glory to God. And adding to this, the Lord has providently prearranged special witnessing opportunities for each of us to faithfully seize with excellence for the blessing of others, and for His glory.

While they have faithfully embraced these awesome truths throughout their history, our evangelical brothers and sisters in Christ in Russia have tragically never risen above being viewed as a “sect” since their first church was organized in 1869. At that time, the Orthodox Church was a division of the Russian government. As the Baptist movement grew, the opposition of the Orthodox intensified. By 1891, they were making it difficult for the Protestants to find employment or living quarters, and they often took Protestants’ children to indoctrinate them in the Orthodox faith.

Then in 1894, the powerful Russian Orthodox forbade the Baptists to meet for worship, but the Lord kept building His church. The works-driven Orthodox could not stop the faithful Baptists. The communists followed and they, too, could not stop them. And since the year 2000, a renewed and intensifying alliance between the government and the Orthodox has not been able to thwart the small, but zealous Protestant movement. As Jesus Christ keeps building His church, your prayers and material support have had an important part.

From March 23 through March 25, the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists will hold a deCISive leadership conference in Moscow. Pastor Yuri Sipko will conclude his second four-year term as president. Delegates will come from churches all across Russia to elect a new president. We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with Brother Sipko and his team. Withstanding the growing opposition, Yuri has accomplished a great deal through his excellent leadership.

Two excellent seminaries were developed, the Novosibirsk Biblical-Theological Seminary and the Samara Theological Seminary. Ministries such as Orphans Reborn and Immanuel’s Child, along with the vibrant national youth ministry and the Antioch Initiative were all established, and several hundred new churches were planted. And the prayers and material support of faithful SGA partners have helped immensely in making it all possible.

We cannot thank you enough for your vital part. Now, please join us again in prayer for the Lord’s clear guidance to the pastors and delegates from UECB churches as they gather to determine who will lead their movement for the next four years. . Pray that they will honor their historical practice of electing a faithful man who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at God’s Word (Isaiah 66:2).