Again at the train station

Our team of two people walked toward the main building of the central Kiev train station. By the door, a man asked us for a cigarrette. I said we don’t have any cigarettes, but we have the means of breaking the addiction, if that intersts you. He was very intesested, and we started talking about Christ and His salvation. The man told us that he really wanted to stop smoking, and he’d read the Bible a lot and believes in God. But. . . the one “but” . . . on the questions why God would take him to heaven? he answered by works; if I work, God will decide there.

Of course He will decide, but not based on your usefulness or works; these never justify anyone. There is another way–Christ offers us the gift of eternal life. We pointed he attention to the mercy of God offers us in Christ, and gave him a tract, and we moved on.  

Salvan, a dark-skinned man from Sri-Lanka was very open and listened about God asking us several good questions. We talked a lot, and at the end, he prayed, wanting to removed all his trust for eternal life from off his deeds and place it on what Christ did for us. We got his e-mail in order to send him a tract about salvation in English and to keep contact with him.

Gypsies: Mikola, Vadik, and others. When we walked up to this group of gypsies, they were not opposed to talking to us about God. Their answer on the question “how to get into heaven?” differs from most people’s. Everyone else answers by works, but gypsies answered that they need to believe in  God. And although their faith didn’t give them assurance of salvation, I think it’s at least better than trusting in yourself. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” said Christ, and I think this is because it’s the first and important step on the way to God. We had a good conversation with them about how to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Fenevichi

Thank all of you who prayed about today. It was  a blessed day. It’s so happy seeing how God is working His work of salvation in the hearts of people.

Five people came to the evagelistic meeting, almost all of them my relatives. It’s so happy to see how God is growing their faith and strengthening them. Last time I asked them to read the first chapter of John. My mom read more than 10 chapters, and Tolya’s mom read the whole book of John. (I had printed it out in large print for the elderly folks.)

Tolya, my sister’s husband, asked them about what they’d read and what they understood and remembered. . . . . I am seeing that God is raising up new preachers (like Tolya) and building His church.

They also all are slowly starting to pray out loud. But most importantly for me now is that they grow in their understanding of God, that with all their hearts they would hope only in Jesus Christ for their salvation.

How easy it is for a person to hope on himself or on some feeling of deserving, especially after starting to attend church or doing something good. But all these false hopes just hold a person away from from God’s mercy. Not their prayers, deeds, nothing brings them closer to God like simply understanding this simple truth–Christ died for you.

This is what every believer must focus their attention on, at the begining of their life with God and all the way through the rest of his time. Each person must personally know God like his Savior, Friend, Father, King. . . .

I also talked with my brother Ruslan who lives in Ivankov, and with his wife Sveta. God is now seriously alarming his heart and his is making serious tries to come to God. Pray that God helps htem know His mercy.

tomorrow

I’m really thankful to you for all your prayers. Again, I want to request your prayers about tomorrow.

Aside from the Bible study in Fenevichi, with will gather about five of my relatives and other neighbors, I will also be talking to my older brother, Ruslan. I see that God is preparing his heart now. He is tired of sins and wants to stop drinking and he asked himself for me to speak with him.

Pray also for his wife Sveta. She also has spiritual difficulties in her life. Pray that God will help her understand that only in Him is her salvation and comfort.

second meeting

This Wednesday will be the second Bible study with my relatives. I’m requesting that you especially pray that God would open their hearts to His Word and would work changes in them for His glory.

Kiev train station

The train station is a place where the most guests of Kiev and Ukraine Come and go. Therefore, if our church wants to be a Great Commission church, then this is a great place for evangelism, seeing that these guests of Ukraine hear about God then go directly to their homes carrying the news of Christ to their cities.

Larissa (from Russia)–had heard some about Christ; she took a tract with her to read.

Sasha (from Donbas) and Lena (from Zhytomyr)–a guy and girl who weren’t opposed to listening about Christ, and they wanted to turn to God and know more about Him.  

“Mr. Orthodox”– we met this guy who over and over emphasized the orthodox faith, and on the question how can we know if we have eternal life? he said: Orthodoxy.

We talked a long time with him, and he’s pretty honest in his zeal, but on the main question: Christ died for your sins–it’s like he’s lost that main question among all these secondary issues.

Shylyavka

Today, Sasha Yashenko and I were at Shulyavka. It’s a place where many ethnic groups are gathered. Many people don’t understand our language, but they need to hear about God. Why, the Great Commission tells us that we need to carry the Gospel not just to all nations, but also to all ethnic groups.  

First we talked to two guys, one was named Oleg, and they want to meet with us again and receive New Testaments.

Then, we went up to one guy of African nationality, and he didn’t speak Russian, but in English we could talk to each other about God. He goes to the church “Embassy of God,” but on the question of why God would take him into heaven, he said because he keeps the ten commandments.

We talked with him a little about faith in the death of Christ. I’m sorry that I had no English tracts with me.

We went to others too who were also not Ukrainians, but they maybe pretended that they didn’t understand our language.

first meeting

It was so joyful and happy for me to see how God is opening the hearts of my relatives to hear the gospel. Before, they had completely different relationship to Him, and today they are ready to listen to His Word. My sister, with whom I talked a week ago, showed the desire to turn to God, as did her husband Tolya.

They live in the village of Fenevichi. Today we had our first Bible study meeting at their house. There were also in attendance my mom (Galina Ivanovna) and Tolya’s mom (also named Galina Ivanovna) and Victor.

We prayed that this house would become a Prayer House and that that Tolya, saved and baptized, could be able to preach there the gospel to many people. I think we will come there once a week, seeing that they are open and want to hear about God.

my sister

 

It’s an interesting fact that only today I could normally explain to my sister Natasha and her husband Tolik about salvation in Jesus Christ. They listened and agreed with everything, and at the end each prayed to accept eternal life. Of course, in the reality of how they live their daily lives, there’s not much pleasing. But for me right now, it’s more important that they know what Christ did for them, and that they begin to develop a personal relationship with Him, because only through that will they get the desire and strength to order their lives by God’s Word.

I’d like to start regular Bible study with them in their home.

Father Yura

Sasha and I met an orthodox priest. He was friendly to us. About the question of surety, he said: That’s not the right question. But on the question about why God would let him into heaven, he said faith plus deeds. We talked with him a little about God’s gift of eternal life, that we’re not able to earn or deserve, and he was basically agreed–although he noted that we are young and we shouldn’t be so sure because we’ll change our opinions as we grow older.

Vladimir

Young man, about 23 years old. Listened attentively about Christ, but at the moment of prayer, his friend came, and our conversation ended.