HOW LUTHER GOT TO UKRAINE

This week marks the start of the 500th anniversary year of the great Reformation when Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, nailed his ninety-five complaints of corruption in the Catholic Church on the door of a church in Germany on Oct. 31, 1517. He wanted change but ended up getting opposition that resulted in the protestant reformation that swept through Europe and beyond with the truth of “The just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:17). He also translated the Bible into the people’s language so they could read it for themselves. The impact was felt around the world.

But, did you also know Luther came to Ukraine too? Before arriving, Prince Volodymyr (988) imported what he saw of Catholicism in Constantinople and started the Eastern Orthodox church in Kiev. But, their glittering domes with external rites failed to bring true spiritual revival.

So, by the 16th century some sent their sons west to hear Luther lectures. They returned and schools were started with these ideas back in Ukraine. Eventually the Russian Bible Society came along and people began reading the Scriptures for themselves resulting in real spiritual change. Prayer group movements also sprang up which the Orthodox church began to oppose.

German colonies established by Catherine the Great (1762–96) brought in more spiritual change but she also restricted their activity as well as the Orthodox church. My heritage came from one of these colonies that we visited last week.  See the link below about our visit to Tarutina. These began to have congregations and some were even known to baptize by immersion by 1855. The idea of salvation by faith rather than through ritual, baptism or works caught on fast. We visited a few of these churches while in the Odessa area.

But, with the 1917 Russian Revolution and communism the church was persecuted under government sanctioned atheism for seventy years. Many believers and church leaders of all kinds suffered, went to prison or died. Then in 1991 the collapse of the U.S.S.R. resulted in religious freedom. This is why many say the Reformation has just now arrived in Ukraine. Yes, that’s how Luther got there.

One example of this that caught my attention when we visited Central Baptist Church in

Odessa.  My son Caleb was interviewing Sergei Sannikov, a theologian, author and founder of Odessa Theological Seminary, who had just completed a major new evangelical commentary on the Bible to help Slavic pastors understand Scripture better.  His church stands out with it’s beautiful gardens and attractive building that has two balconies to maximize space.  The church has been in existence for over two-hundred years but the building is much more recent. 

I asked Mr. Sannikov if the KGB (Secret Police) had given the church much problems during communism.  He pointed out that the actual site of the building we were standing in once was a headquarters for the KGB.  But, with the fall of the iron curtain the KGB was eliminated and now on that spot the church was built. Now salvation by grace alone in Christ alone is being preached on the spot where once it was actively opposed.  Praise God!

With that in mind Discovery has had an active part in helping bring those reformation truths to Ukraine for the past twenty-three years. We’ve done this through our two sent missionaries of the Sukos and Gustafsons as well as supporting nationals like the Sagadeyevs, Motovilians and Kaletniks.    

See a video of our trip to our family village of Tarutino and lesson from what we found there by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_UBqBF9pc4.

Don't forget...

• Living Nativity Workday 9-12 continues each Saturdays. 
• Set your clocks back one hour Saturday night for daylight saving time.
• Sunday at 9:15 we’ll be looking at reformation truths in a new Discovery Class that Chris and I will team teach. It is designed to inform those new to Discovery about what we believe, how we function, our history and a host of other important things. It is recommended for those considering membership. Come and bring your questions.
• Sunday at 10:30 I will also give a report of our ministry in Ukraine over the past month before Chris opens the Word for us.

Pastor Mark

PASSPORTS & APPLAUSE

Nancy and I were excited about helping Mike & Rachel and our grandkids get back to their ministry in Ukraine. It was a special trip also because my brother, Gary, was going with us for the first time. After our 9 hour flight to London we scrambled to get to our connecting flight to Kiev.

At one of the checkpoints in London we realized Nancy didn’t have her passport. We searched our things several times while the others went ahead. But, no passport. Passports are our identity and prime targets for theft. The nice lady at the desk called to see if it had been found on the plane. Nothing!

We couldn’t continue to Ukraine or even leave the airport. We were trapped with no proof of identity. Since it was a weekend the US Embassy was closed too. In desperation, we enquired at another airline counter. The Indian man with a large turban behind the desk was sympathetic. We asked if he could call for someone to check our seat in the plane one last time; we waited and prayed. We knew God had a purpose. Twenty minutes later an airline employee brought us the missing passport. What a relief!

But it was too late to catch the last plane to Kiev. No problem! We’d catch it the next day. The following morning we realized the passport was missing again. How could this be? We searched everything as our hearts raced. Did someone steal her identity? The hotel checked places we had been the night before. Next was to call the London police. Again we prayed and did one more search. In a few minutes, we found it in clothing I had worn the night before. Wow! In a flash we were out the door to grab a cab to the terminal.

A passport is your identity. Without it they don’t recognize you. It is well known that in the last days the mark of the beast, “666”, is an identity. It will be on those who follow the Antichrist. But, true Christians will not take this mark because it represents apostasy. Much of what Satan does is a phony version of the real thing. But the true believer has God’s true and lasting mark. “’…I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” (Rev. 3:12). This mark pops up numbers of times in Scripture as a comfort to those who have repented (cf. Rev. 13:8; 14:1). In the eternity believers are promised that “they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” (Rev. 22:4). Do you have His name on you and is your name in His Book of Life?

An interesting part of the story is when we landed in Kiev. When the plane touched down all the Ukrainians on board clapped. We had heard this many times before, but this time we chuckled. It was worth the applause for just getting there. In heaven we will definitely rejoice for God’s grace getting us there.

Next we headed to Odessa by evening train where Caleb met us at midnight. Sunday was a super blessing to be in their Zhatva (A harvest service) with lots of music, praise and hearing our son Caleb preach to a packed place.

Enjoying seeing out other Ukrainian grandkids again in Odessa.

Bread, symbol of the harvest, with Nancy & I and our mission associates Maria & Velodya Sagadeyev.

Pastors thanking the Lord for the harvest.

Here's the video of the Zhatva. It’s all in Russian but you can fast forward to enjoy the many musical groups and be blessed. The only English part is me giving greetings at the end. https://youtu.be/OY2DAI32AYA

-Pastor Mark                                

ADOPTION: WAS NOT & WAS

This week a prayer was answered as we held a baby that was not and was ours. The Clarks, our son-in-law and daughter, received a baby they had applied for through adoption. Nancy and I became grandparents again. When the agency called, Willie and Hannah headed to the hospital and soon were given a newborn baby. They named him Samuel because they had been praying for this child much like Hannah had prayed for Samuel in 1 Samuel 1.  Monday he officially became a Clark and we his grandparents.

I couldn't help but think of the believer's adoption in regard to salvation. Spiritually speaking a person who repents of their sin and has faith in Christ alone as Savior is completely forgiven (Rom 5:1).  While justification speaks of the debt of that sin being legally cancelled, adoption, on the other hand, speaks of a loving Father who takes the alienated sinner as a son, making him heir and giving him all the rights of a full son. 

What a wonderful eternal truth this is for the believer to meditate on. Spiritually speaking, God chose us just as a family chooses to adopt. "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, " (Eph_1:5). Praise be to God.

"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God."  (Gal 4;4-7 NASB)

Baby Dedication Sunday, Oct. 9: Parents interested in dedicating children should contact Pastor Mark soon about details of the service.  This is the final service the Gustafsons will be with us before they return to Ukraine.

Special missions gifts: Our VBS raised $766.38 for Viva North America (Recommended by the Pratts).  Funds went to Latin America to help children living on the street from 3 - 18 years of age.  Viva feeds, helps get schooling and shares the gospel of Christ with them. Also $500 was sent to assist a fall conference on World Evangelism in Odessa, Ukraine helping to bring dozens of pastors/leaders to it.