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The Word of God is Growing

The ways of God are unknown and unfathomable. Faith is obtained from God as He graciously gives the saving Christian faith to whom He wants and when He wants.

Sometimes, in the churches, we may hear the opinion that the mission in contemporary society cannot be effective. We hear the cry that our efforts are nothing.

A few years ago, I went to Baikal Lake in Siberia. It is the biggest freshwater lake in the world. This is a very beautiful place. Through the clean water you may see 40 meters deep. There are unique animals living in there. They are cold freshwater seals. Green Peace is very concerned about the situation there. There is a pulp and paper mill near the lake. It pollutes the water. Specialists say that if it continues to pollute the lake, in 10 years it will die.

In a way, Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) in Russia reminds us of this mill. It pours out the Word of God through radio, TV and the printed word into the lake of non-belief throughout Russia.

For 10 years, the LHM in Moscow has been watching how the Word of God has changed thousands of Russians. The LHM’s database contains backgrounds of almost 380,000 people. Each month, Lutheran Hour receives between 5,000-10,000 responses. There are 145,000,000 people living in Russia. If Lutheran Hour works 10 to 20 years in Russia, the environment there could be filled with the Word of God and non-belief would die in Russia.

The Word of God is growing and reaching people with the gift of faith. The truth is, God wants to use every Christian for the ministry and calls us to be the builders of His Kingdom and co-workers of Christ. As co-workers, we should be committed to our work and stay optimistic.

Time works for us. Let us praise God for the opportunity to participate in His mission, reaching out for those who do not yet know Him. Amen.

Pastor Konstantin Andreev

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The Widow’s Offering

On that day, Jesus gave a good lesson to His disciples. He pointed them to a poor widow who gave only two small coins and said that she had given the biggest offering, unlike the rich men who gave a lot. Jesus tried to explain that God judges what we do differently than people judge. The rich people gave a lot because they had a lot. The widow gave the last of what she had. God could see her heart.

The desire to give depends on our spiritual level. Jesus said that we would be where our heart is. So, where is you heart today?

The life standard in Russia is rather low nowadays. The donors of Lutheran Hour Ministries in Russia do not give much. But many of them, being drawn by the Word of God, give the last that they have. They wish to be part of “Bringing Christ to the nations - and nations to the Church.”

In March, 2001, a Siberian town, Lensk, was flooded. The river, Lena, destroyed almost the whole town. Thousands of people lost their homes and assets. Everything they gained was smashed and destroyed by the storm. All of Russia watched that tragedy.

Soon, the Lutheran Hour received a letter from the town. Mikhail Israpilov had stayed in touch with the Lutheran Hour for several years. He regularly donated to LHM. He enclosed 100 rubles with the letter that time, also. Mikhail wrote: “My house was washed away by the river. I have lost everything I had. Many people now need help. I struggle for my life as well, but I want to give as much as I can for the outreach. I am sure that the Gospel must be preached in spite of the flood. And the river cannot stop it.”

We read that letter many times. The faith of that man was so amazing. Mikhail helped us renew our own faith. We thought about our offerings and asked God to give us love and faith and a sacrificial heart.

May our Lord give us the faith of the poor widow and teach us to give for His mission. Amen.

Pastor Konstantin Andreev

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The Gospel Changes Hearts

Anatoly Pogassii is a famous lawyer in Tatarstan republic. He is well educated and has a nice family. There was a time when he thought he had everything he needed to be happy. But, still, something disturbed him. He could not find peace and comfort for his soul.

After he listened to the radio program produced by Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM), he decided to take the Bible correspondence course. He got a Bible and started to study it. Very soon, Anatolii came to Christ with his family and friends. There was no Lutheran church in his city, Kazan, so Anatolii and his friends went to another Christian congregation. But they could not join any of them.

Anatolii and his friends contacted the Church of Ingria in St. Petersburg and asked them to help start a Lutheran church in Kazan. The enthusiasm and help of the Church of Ingria helped begin the new church. The majority of the parishoners are respectable, intelligent and rich people like Anatolii Pogasii.

The main prayer in that church was for those who are not yet saved. God led these people in prayer for the needy and answered them. Soon, beggars and bums started to come to worship. They stink and looked terrible, and it was so hard to stay with them in one building. Some parishioners began leaving the church. Anatolii Pogasii was a deacon at the time and he prayed hard for the bums and the parish. He was afraid that all the so-called “normal” people would leave the parish. God answered the prayers again. The people realized that, through the Word of God, Jesus came for all and that He loves even the least ones. Then the situation in the church started to change. Parishioners invited the homeless people to their houses and offered them baths, food and clothes. They also prayed for them and helped them to find jobs. Some bums left the church, but some of them stayed and became good Christians. The so-called “normal” church members changed, as well. God gave them love for their neighbors and made them new in the attitude of their minds.

The Lutheran church in Kazan is a symbol of God’s true love changing hearts and filling them with the Holy Spirit. May our Lord make us “new in the attitude of (our) minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Amen.

Pastor Konsantin Andreev

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The Builders of God’s Mystery

There are many Christians willing to do something important in their life. They dream about a true act of faith in Christ’s name but too often ignore the daily ministry.

There are also Christians who are not willing to do the ministry but still want to be saved. They are like spiritual turtles protected by the armor of their own righteousness. They do not reach out as they are afraid of being weak outside the armor. They enjoy the safe Christian shell.

The Word of God says, in 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, that every Christian is called to preach the Gospel.

Franklin Torres Rivera worked as a driver for Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) in Moscow. He was an active member of a church. He also came to the Bible study held in the office. Once we read 1 Corinthians 9:16-19 at the Bible study. Later, Franklin came to me and shared his concerns. He thought that he did not fulfill the will of God. I tried to comfort him saying that God loves us as we are. He was not satisfied by that answer.

A few days later, he told me God gave him a desire to do ministry. He wanted to do outreach for the Latin Americans living in Moscow. Franklin is from Bolivia. He graduated from a university in Russia and married a Russian lady, Luba. They have two children. The girl is Valeria and the boy is Ilia. God came into his life through the radio programs. Franklin took the LHM Bible courses but he had not yet gone to church. After he graduated, Franklin went back to Bolivia with his family. He had a good job there. But the climate in Bolivia was unsuitable for his wife, Luba. She had to come back to Russia with the children. Franklin faced the challenge of leaving the family for a career or saving the family by any means. His faith helped him to make the right choice. He chose the way of ministry.

When I talked with Franklin that day, he said he faced the same challenge as he had faced in Bolivia. He said it was impossible for him to remain simply a good Christian. He wanted to serve God. He felt responsible for the people who did not know God.

Since that time, Franklin reaches out daily to the Latin Americans living in Moscow. He managed to gather a group to study the Word of God.

It is so important to listen to the Holy Spirit as He leads us to make the right choice. May our Lord lead us in our choice of evangelism. Amen.

Pastor Konstantin Andreev

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Strange People

This is my favorite passage in Paul’s letters to the Corinthian congregation, and I often use it for my sermons. I used to ask the people in church to look around and make sure that there is no president, famous or rich person sitting next to them. Usually, people in the church are simple. Sometimes they are strange or full of troubles.

When the first “Equipping the Saints” workshop was hosted at the Lutheran Hour Ministries office in Moscow, I was a little disappointed. The distances some people had to travel were very far so we mostly corresponded with the majority of the participants. Many of them had no chance to go to church regularly because there was no Lutheran church in their town. The churches were destroyed during the Soviet times and now, very slowly, they are being restored.

So, when I looked at those people, I thought that LHM could hardly help them. Our plan was to teach them practical evangelism they can use as tools for building the Church. I did not believe that those very strange people could help. They did not look like missionaries or evangelists. They asked a lot of strange questions and showed their theological ignorance. But God used those people. Four out of 20 participants became active parishioners at their churches. Two others started churches in their own places. Since that time, the “Equipping the Saints” workshops have been held throughout all of Russia. Over several years, I have met strange people who then helped to start 11 new Lutheran congregations.

Let us enjoy the love of God and the environment of strange people who do great things for God. Amen.

Pastor Konstantin Andreev

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God’s Love for Sinners
In contemporary churches we may see that newcomers feel confused entering the church. They stay in the back and try to take a seat in the back row. When the Word of God touches their hearts, they pray, “O God, I ask Your mercy on me, a sinner.” The time passes and these people move from the last row to the front ones. Their prayers may change. They say, “Thank You, Lord, that I am not like the others outside.”

It is so important to remember that we are forgiven sinners, saved by God. King David praised God who was his Savior. St. Paul stressed that everyone was taken from the world and nobody was pure.

Igor Baranchikov made a mistake in his life. He paid for it in prison. The Word of God reached him there. While he was imprisoned, Igor became a Christian. After he was released, Igor was a believer but he remembered who he was and were he was. He had a strong desire to bring the Gospel to others like him. Igor is a musician. He decided to use his talent for God’s mission. He worked hard to buy a guitar and music equipment. Then he started to visit prisons and sing songs about Christ for the prisoners. He shared his faith with those people. In five years, thousands of sinners in 700 prisons of Russia heard the Good News and became the students in the Bible courses.

Nowadays, Igor is a leader of the prison ministry of the Lutheran Hour in Moscow. He keeps love for the sinners in his heart. He remembers that Christ died for them.

May our God help us to remember where we were when He called us. Let us remember that we are forgiven sinners and move to the new horizon of our ministry with love for all people. Amen.

Pastor Konstantin Andreev

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Do Not Look Down on These Little Ones

It was the first time the Lutheran Hour Ministries employees visited the school for mentally ill children, and they were not sure how to speak or act. Many of the children are orphans or from broken families. Most of them have never studied in school, never had enough to eat, and never knew what kindness was until they came to the school. Obviously, it was not easy to win their favor. The hardest thing is to break the ice of constraint and the fear that the children have when around strangers. But the words of Christ, “See that you do not look down on these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven,” moved LHM people to do something for these children. God had a plan for them. As we talked about Jesus’ love, we saw the bright, trustful eyes of the children full of interest.

On our next visit, the children met us as old, good friends. Two teenage girls, who were LHM volunteers, accompanied the group. The leader of the group, Lana, was not sure if it was good to take the girls along with us because she was afraid the orphans would be hurt by seeing children from good families. But the girls helped us to create a comfortable, trustful atmosphere. They helped to lead the concert and hand out presents. The children were quite happy to participate with our young assistants. The children remembered LHM volunteers, waited for us, and read their Bibles. They even sang a song about Christ that they had learned last time.

Christ became so real for those children. They could see Him and His love through other people. The LHM employees soon became good friends of the children.

Children can be a burden from the worldly point of view, especially invalid children. The world wants pleasure and comfort. There is a popular commercial in Russia that say, “Take all from life.” But children require much time and a lot of effort. To bring up children is a ministry of life! God calls us His children, and He calls us lost children in the parable about the prodigal son. He teaches us to serve the weak.

Let us remember the children, who are little ones, for their angels in heaven always see the face of our Father in heaven. Amen.

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The Lutheran Congregation in Morshansk is growing

On November 14 a head of the Russian office of LHM Rev.Konstantin Andreev visited a new lutheran congregation in Morshansk, Tobolsk area. The congregation appeared due to missionary work of the LHM in Russia. Rev. Andreev was accompanied by a group of collaborators of the Mosco office of LHM. 3 years ago a respondent of Lhm Sergey Kiriushatov took theBCC (http://bibleschool.ru). After the Course ergey became interested in Christianity and in Lutheran religion as well. Before this, Sergey was unsuccessfully looking for the truth in different sects. After taking the BCC, he was confirmated in one of Moscow Lutheran parishes and became a volunteer of the LHM. Under leadership of a pastor he founded a small group of belivers in Morshansk. Now this group is a branch congregation of a Moscow Lutheran St.John parish (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria - ELCI). Each Sunday about 20 people attend worshp services in this congregation. The services are conducted by rev.Andreev and other pators of ELCI. Sergey Kiriushatov in now a student of a seminary of ELCI and serves as a catechist (lector) in the congregation, founded by him. Later, he hopes to become a pastor.
For 2 years all meetings of the group took place in Sergey`s flat. Since October the Morshansk congregation uses rooms of a local recreation centre for this meetings and worship services. In the centre they also watch Christian films and discuss spiritual issues. Using all legitimate means, this congregation proclams an idea of a great missionary service as one of its values. This is a commandment which was given by Jesus Christ to this Church.
Last sunday in the cngregation pastor Andreev vabtized 2 newborn gitls – Sofia Bogojavlenskaja and Nastja Kiriushatova. The baptismal service took place on a flat of belivers. Hapy parent of the girls were the first who baptized their children in the Morshansk congregation. They fulfilled God`s commandment and testified to others their devotion to biblical principles.

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The LHM’s work in October 2004

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Follow-up in the mental hospital:

Every week on Monday the LHM workers run LHM videos at the mental hospital and arrange the discussions, prayers and have some tea with the patients. 123 patients came to the Bible study. Doctors stress the positive influence of prayer meetings on regular participants.



Testimonies:


Kalinovsky Segey is 42 years old. He is mentally ill. He lost the family and house. He has only 14 years old daughter. He suffered from fears and heard voices. Sergey attends the video club and wants to be baptized. Soon he will go out the hospital.

Semionov Dmitry is 37 years old. The alcoholic addiction caused mental illness. Since Dmitry started to come to the video club and prayer meetings his condition became better. Doctors allow him to go for a work at the farm.

Nishanov Rakhim is 24 years old. He is former patient. Now he goes to church (though he did not go to church before he met with the LHM volunteers) and works at two jobs.

The chief doctor of the mental hospital made a proposal to arrange “Medical-social center for homeless people”. It can become a project of volunteers’ ministry of the LHM. The hospital will give a whole building for the center and the Lutheran Hour will help to repair it and then arrange there a center for spiritual and social follow-up of patients and homeless people.

Most of the staff of the mental hospital is Jewish. On October 17-24, 2004 15 doctors of the hospital visited Finland. The trip was arranged in conjunction with the Finnish organization “Friends of Israel”. Special Bible camp was arranged in city Latkhi.

The program of the camp included themes “The Bible and God’s plan of the salvation”, “Short Jewish history”, “Salvation is”. “Work of the Holy Spirit in the man’s heart”, “Prayer”.

In result 4 doctors became Christians and wanted to join the church. Their names are Marina Kamaletdiniva, Tatiana Antoshina, Olga Onischenko, Vasily Morosov.

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ISRAEL

Drug programs of the LHM “Impossible is Possible” were forwarded to the Christian rehabilitation center for addicts “House of victory” in city Haifa. Every sixth citizen of Israel is Russian speaking Jew.

Thanks to the LHM’s volunteer Mikhail Raginsky the center agreed to arrange the video club there. Mikhail Raginsky started to shoot the footage at the center for future programs “Impossible is Possible”.

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Georgian Evangelical Lutheran Church (GELC) initiated through the LHM’s outreach develops activity and speaks the Gospel.

Six leaders of GELC study at different schools in Russia, Ukraine and Georgia.

Outreach supported by the volunteers brings result. Two professional musicians have jointed Lutheran congregations as well as other famous people. They learned about GELC from the LHM’s programs and volunteers.

New leader jointed the congregation in Tskholtubo. His name is Temury Besiladze (he is with guitar on the picture). He has been Christian for a long time but some time ago he jointed Lutheran confession. He is getting ready to become a member of the Lutheran congregation.

Preacher of the group in the village Tsvermagala is Zaza Keknaveliddze. He is also the volunteer of the LHM. Zaza builds friendly relationships with people in his village. It helps him to attract youth to the faith. The village Tsvermagala is located near Black Sea. Sometime the group meets at the seashore and preacher uses Biblical parabolas talking to people.

In October worked video club arranged in Kutaisy. Orthodox priest took part in the work of it. Andrey Vashakidze encouraged Lutheran believers and the LHM’s volunteers to continue the outreach.

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News of Hispanic congregation

Hispanic congregations in Moscow and St. Petersburg consist mostly of Bolivians. On the 7th of October became the day of mourning for them. On that day President of Bolivian Lutheran Church Humberto Ramos, pastor Rev. Juan Sevallios and German missionary Verena Uels died in the car accident.

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New methods of outreach uses the Hispanic group to attract non-believers.

The Hispanic congregation creates new methods to reach out for non-believers. St. John church in Moscow hosts regular lectures devoted to the practical issues that face emigrants and foreign guests in Russia. Also the lectures may attract attention of Russians interested in Hispanic history and culture. First lecture was on October 17, 2004. The lecturer, assistant of Bolivian ambassador Mr. Karlos Chanove, talked about Bolivian history, traditions and typical problems and opportunities of emigrants in Russia.

The cycle of lectures will continue. If you want to listen to the lectures and to fellowship with Spanish speaking community call us by telephone number in Moscow +7 095 949-18-03.

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One more worker of the Lutheran Hour decided to devote the life to the Church.

Woker of post department of the Lutheran Hour - Russia youth leader of St. John church, Valeriy Besedin decided to devote his life to the ministry in church. In October 2004 he became one of thirty students at preliminary theological course of the Ingrian seminary in city Yoshkar-Ola. Valeriy works with teenagers. He also reaches out for the fans of Tolkien and arranges discussions on the biblical issues and invites them to the worship. Valeriy's wife Svetlana also works for the Lutheran Hour and serves as the organist at St. John church and at the Lutheran congregation in Morshansk.

We wish Valeriy God's blessings and faithfulness to the call. We also ask our readers to pray for future priest.

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If you want to know more about missionary activity in Russia, read the LHM`s news and prayer BLOG

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The LHM volounters on Ural become active missionaries

On October 31, The Reformation Day, a new believer from Chelyabinsk Jury Mugalimov joined a Lutheran parish of St. Peter and Paul (SELC) in Ekaterinburg. As he says about himself, he was a Muslim by birth, was baptised in the Orthodox church but for many years he was atheist as many other people, but now he has come to faith and become Lutheran due to a volounter of the LHM in Chelyabinsk Vladimir Konev.
Thus, the Chelyabinsk Lutheran mission, supported by the LHM is developing.
It was started a year ago and now it consists four active members and some more people are going to be confirmed. This is a good example, that in the developing of the Lutheran mission take part not only collaborators of the LHM and church ministers but also active parishioners such as Vladimir Konev.

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