SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION

Innercircle Perspective

. . . you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Throughout 2007, your faithful prayers, many encouragements, and tremendous material support have sustained our ministries and enabled us to seize a number of promising new opportunities. Your partnership in the Gospel is immensely appreciated.

As we launch into 2008, there is much instability in the world — wars and rumors of wars — but for the Lord’s people there is absolutely no cause for concern. Jesus Himself said . . . When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end (Mark 13:7), and . . . The Gospel must first be preached to all the nations (Mark 13:10).

God’s Word is abundantly clear that He is in full control of all the nations. It tells us that He determines governmental leadership at all levels in all the nations, that He raises up nations and empires and takes them down according to His plan, and that He does it in a manner that causes men to seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him (Acts 17:26-27).

When He brought the Soviet Empire crashing down, we raced into all the nations that had been held hostage by an oppressive atheistic dictatorship. To our sheer delight, we found hundreds of millions of people asking questions about God, but having no idea how to find Him. Just as His Word said it would be, they were literally groping for Him.

Thousands who were found groping for God in the 1990s were saved and are now worshipping and serving in Bible-preaching churches. Many of them are in exciting new churches that you have helped to plant.

And what a surpassing blessing it is to fellowship with vibrant local churches filled with dear saints whom Jesus has saved from their sins (Matthew 1:21). During the past three months it has been my great joy to fellowship with such wonderful churches in Illinois, Ukraine, Albania, Oregon, Virginia, Russia, Indiana, Michigan and Canada.

Most recently, I visited the delightful Little Southwest Baptist Church in the village of Silliker, which is located in the beautiful province of New Brunswick in northeastern Canada.

For 162 years they have contended earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints (Jude 3). Named for the nearby Little Southwest River, this faithful, visionary church family is leading in the development of an Antioch coalition that consists of seven area churches. Led by Pastor Terry Woodcock, pastor of the Little Southwest Baptist Church, they are partnering to assist in the development of an Antioch church in Nizniy-Novgorod, Russia.

When the seven Canadian Antioch pastors gather to meet, they pray for Pastor Vasily Kozorezov, pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Nizniy-Novgorod, who also serves as the leader for all the Baptist churches in their state. They plan pastors’ training sessions, respond to project opportunities, work on plans for sending ministry and work teams from their churches, pray for one another and their respective churches, and the Lord always richly blesses their fellowship.

Please join with us in prayer that throughout 2008 the Lord would continue to bless and expand the Antioch Initiative.

Twenty Antioch church coalitions are developing all across North America. Their purpose is to help establish Antioch churches in Russia that can lead in taking the Gospel to hundreds of unreached cities, towns and villages throughout their respective states.

The overall goal is to see 50 true Antioch churches impacting their states for the glory of God by 2010. This will require 30 more North American coalitions of churches.

Tens of millions of precious souls are still wanting to hear — and even waiting to hear — but tragically there is still no one to take the Gospel to them. The door is closing . . . the freedom is fleeting! In the meantime, you are helping us do everything possible to get the Gospel to them. We can never thank you enough!