Leaders and People

I am still ministering in the city of Novomoskovsk, Russia. In the morning today I met with a leader from a church about 90 minutes from here whom I mentor regularly by Skype and in whose church I have had the honor of ministering. We spent the whole morning together and it was a good time to connect and grow in our relationship together.

This afternoon I will be ministering in a packed room to about 50 leaders (really packed out room) and we will be talking about leadership issues and working on how to evangelize supernaturally and see God’s plan and purpose carried out effectively in today’s world in Russia. Then tonight a public service.

The building we are holding the evening services in is really cold and so most keep hats and scarfs and coats on during the service. It is cold I will admit but it does not seem to bother the people and it certainly does not bother God. We minister from 6:00p to 9:00p+ and everyone stays.

Each day is slightly different but the anointing is the same and it is strong. The hunger for more of God is certainly seen and felt and people are simply enjoying God’s presence, the teaching of God’s Word, each other’s fellowship, as well as being equipped in some new areas to fulfill God’s plan and purpose in this city.

Picture: Daniel from Moscow in the leadership session (a warmer room with electric heaters) - one of Ralph’s disciples whom he is training to be an apostle. Many of the youth use tables or iPads and go without so much just to invest in one or to make monthly payments. They want to be in touch with the world and do their studies and research electronically.

Please pray for my team - they have come in from Moscow and Tula (cities within 3 hours of here) and several smaller centers and we are beginning to pick up the pace prophetically now we have more workers to handle the demand. We are getting to know each other and beginning to partner together in this ministry. Often they start as total strangers… Thanks for praying.

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Repent - the End Is At Hand

Have you ever seen the guy with the sign that says “Repent for the end is near?” Or seen a sign on the front lawn of a church saying the same? There are many in my nation and in several of the nations where I minister regularly. They are a really strange mixture of wrong theology and a totally screwed up understanding of what God was and is doing.

Jesus came and preached “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.” (Mark 1:15 NRSV).

Jesus did not say repent for you are about to die and need to get things right before hopefully going to Heaven. He said to repent because the kingdom, the Way, the rule of God is near and right here and now - available to all who want it. He said that repentance was the way to enter into the Kingdom and become involved in this new world order and everything that Jesus was planning to do. Jesus was inviting people to leave their self-centered way of thinking (repent means to change the way you think) and their egocentric approach to life and join with Him in a partnership to help bring about His way of love and life in this world.

In other words, I repent not because the end is near, but because the beginning is here, and I want to be a part of it. Christ’s message of the Kingdom and of our response of repentance was not just a command to regret our past, but an invitation to help bring about a new future. Become involved today!

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Prophetic School and Leaders Seminars

Each day while here in Novomoskovsk I am meeting in the early morning with a union or denominational leader. The host for the week has allowed me to be free of obligations to teach from 9:00a to 11:00a and so I have scheduled meetings with men whom I mentor and work closely with in the nation of Russia. It is good to fellowship and pray together as I help them take the next step in their ministry.

Then I am teaching a Leadership Seminar in the afternoon to regional pastors. The topic advertized was “How to Handle the Messes of Ministry” and I am not sure exactly what is expected to be covered and the host was not specific when we asked him a month ago about the topic he chose. So, I am flying a little blind and hope after some conversations with local leaders to have a better idea of what I am doing.

In the evenings I am doing a “Prophetic Conference” and it is open to the public. By Friday the conference takes over the whole day - morning, afternoon and evening so as people become free of work obligations the number of sessions a day increases. In total I am expected to teach on 12 different topics regarding the prophetic. It will be a hectic pace between meetings, preparation, and actual meetings with prophetic ministry.

Your prayers for this whole week in the city of Novomoskovsk are greatly appreciated. When you pray my work is so much easier and God accomplishes so much more. I really appreciate you standing with me and with my team of Eastern Europeans in prayer each day. It is so important.

Picture: One of many worship teams who have worked closely with my ministry over the past 10 days

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Not Comparing But…

I am now in my 5th city of this current trip overseas to the nations of Moldova and Russia. It has been a good trip and a powerful one with people saved, healed and set free. And, I have had a wonderful time fellowshipping with the saints in each and every city as I have ministered God’s Word. People willingly share their hearts.

Now, in many places in North America where I work that means I listen to their gossip, their aches and pains, their life-issues and all sorts of other complaints. Here many of the faithful followers of Jesus have a much more difficult life and yet, when talking with them, they are seriously on-fire for Jesus and He is their main subject of conversation.

Now, before you get on my case and say that this is to be expected because they don’t have so much pressure in life, their lives are not absorbed by their jobs, they live a slower pace …. and countless other reasons and excuses I often hear. Forget it - they work as hard and as long as you do; they have the same levels of stress; they have the identical family issues; they have the same financial pressures you live with… and they have the added weight of fewer modern conveniences and a lot let ready and available cash. Getting adequate food and shelter is often a main concern. They is really very little difference between them and us and even less difference as the recovery from Communism continues. In most buildings I have worked in these past two weeks - everyone sat with coats and hats on as there was little to no heat. Yet, they talk about Jesus, they are seriously involved getting people saved; and they are planting new churches often at great personal sacrifice.

What is the difference? Why the difference? What can we do about the difference? How can we persuade North American believers to talk about Jesus? He certainly is not currently their favorite topic - far from it as they are in love with themselves and talk about themselves almost all of the time. It can be and often is so different elsewhere and I have been simply wondering why this morning as I sit waiting for my first appointment with three pastors who are making a difference in Russia and are seeing people saved and churches planted because of new believers and not recycled saints.

Have any thoughts? Would love to hear from you!

Picture: Joseph who pastors in city of Novomoskovsk, Russia. A night with absolutely no heat and it was eventually seriously cold in the building.

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