WORD OF THE DAY - Monday 13 October 2009

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for beautiful pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

Еще подобно Царство Небесное купцу, ищущему хороших жемчужин, который, найдя одну драгоценную жемчужину, пошел и продал всё, что имел, и купил ее. (От Матфея 13:45-46 Russian)

Almighty God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the precious gift of life on this new day that arrives with fresh evidence of your loving care and boundless love for all men. Grant us wisdom to recognize that there should be nothing in this world worth more to us, than gaining entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven where every treasure is that can fulfill all our desires for peace and contentment. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Our worship yesterday was another wonderful experience. We had a smaller group of people, but we had our brother Ivan Tupchanenko from Magadan as our guest. He made excellent comments before the Lord's Supper. Following my sermon, Ivan gave a preview of what he will be teaching each night this week as he leads the group in a Bible study about life in the church. We are blessed that he is with us for this week. Galina and I will take this opportunity and go out of town for a few days. We will return on Friday. We need to pick up some Bibles and literature that we desperately need in Donetsk. We recently heard from Eastern European Missions that they have had an unusual amount of orders this year, and that is why our order is being delayed. It is an overnight train ride there and back. We plan to be back here on Friday. We are very thankful that Ivan will continue to conduct the daily Bible studies. Thank you for your prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. (Psalm 49:15)

Но Бог избавит душу мою от власти преисподней, когда примет меня. (Псалтирь 49:15/ 48-16 Russian Synodal Version)

Most Holy and Righteous God, our Father enthroned in regal Majesty ~ Thank you for the numerous blessings on this new Lord’s Day. Bless Christians around the world with your presence as we assemble in sweet communion on this day to worship Christ our Lord. Help us to love one another as we obey Christ our great Teacher. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

We greeted our brother Ivan when he arrived from Kiev on the train this morning at 06.00. Ivan will be with us for several days. He has an extended vacation and is spending time with his family in Ukraine and came to Nikolaev to work with us in planting seeds of the Gospel. He regularly preaches for the church in Magadan. While Ivan is away, our brother Vasily is handling those duties. It is a great joy for us to have him here with us. I first met Ivan in Magadan when a group from various parts of America met there to preach the Good News and plant a church. Now, God is making it possible for Ivan to help in this work. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Thank you for the many prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - 10 October 2009

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9 NIV)

Чему вы научились, что приняли и слышали и видели во мне, то исполняйте, --и Бог мира будет с вами. (К Филиппийцам 4:9 Russian)

Most Kind and Holy God of peace, our Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the precious gift of life on this new day that brings more occasions to demonstrate our reliability as good examples of what it means to be a faithful disciple of Christ. Give us wisdom so that we will grow in our faith by being obedient to what we learn from your word. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

A monument in the large park that surrounds the building where the church meets, serves as a reminder to the bravery of many children who gave their lives in defense of their country in the war against Nazi aggression. Many young people volunteered to perform many acts of bravery for their country during that time of war. At that time, much of this region was under occupation by the German forces. Then, following the war, the Soviet Union became the country for Ukrainians until the collapse of the USSR and the rebirth of Ukraine as an independent nation.

WORD OF THE DAY - 09 October 2009

For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)

ибо благоволит Господь к народу Своему, прославляет смиренных спасением. (Псалтирь 149:4 Russian)

Almighty God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the enlivening gift of life on this new day. Give us wisdom so that we will not consider worldly honor and fame as more important than your loving consideration of us. Help us to be sincerely humble as we obey Christ who came to this earth as meek as a Lamb in order to demonstrate your great love for all people. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Yesterday in the evening, we had another wonderful Bible study with the faithful few people who showed up. We had excellent questions following a discussion of how God 'chastens those He loves'. The young man Andrei appeared again and we had a brief conversation. He doesn't care to hang around and 'chew the fat' very much. But, we will continue to attempt to get closer to him. Earlier in the day, we had a most productive study with our new friend Zhenya. She is reading what we have asked her to read before we meet, and arrives with several questions. This is such a delight and we look forward to each meeting. In the morning, we met with Luda and Stepan and gave them more instruction in the Word that brings salvation. They are always eager to study. Luda talked about the situation in the Former Soviet Union when everyone was told that there is no God. She asks how people could make a choice to follow God in that circumstance when the government opposed the Bible. Here, we have so many people who grew up being taught atheism. In her case, the first people she met in 1993 who taught her the Bible were SDA's. Lately, she is searching for more truth. I think we are finally on the same page in helping her to understand the message of Jesus Christ from the New Testament. Thank you for the prayers regarding this work in God's vineyard.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was let down into the sea and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.” (Matthew 13:47-48)

Еще подобно Царство Небесное неводу, закинутому в море и захватившему рыб всякого рода, который, когда наполнился, вытащили на берег и, сев, хорошее собрали в сосуды, а худое выбросили вон. (От Матфея 13:47-48 Russian)

Most Holy and Righteous God, our Merciful Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the indescribable blessings that are coming our way on this new day as we remain in the luminous way that Christ has laid out for us. Help us to be even more aware that there will be a final separation at the end of time. Give us wisdom and courage so that we will be among the faithful as we obey Christ for salvation. Help us to have compassion and patience toward those who continue to reject this wonderful hope of eternal life. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Yesterday we had another wonderful session with over 80 students at the pedagogical university. For the scripture teaching, I gave them a lesson from the parable of the yeast. One young woman gave a particularly scholarly definition of the purpose of parables. As the group was leaving, many were speaking to me, and one young man said that my lesson was very helpful. So far, none of these students have attended our meetings of the church, but we keep our hopes up about that. Nevertheless, the door remains open, and there is much interest in God's word. Today I will be with a group of 5th year students in a smaller round table type discussion of women in society. The head of the department suggested that I make reference to the Bible in my discussion. It is impossible to properly express my thanks to God for these opportunities. We only pray fervently for more workers to come here and help us spread the Good News.

WORD OF THE DAY - Monday 05 October 2009

Another parable he spoke to them; “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until the whole batch was leavened.” (Matthew 13:33)

Our Dear Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for the startling abundance of blessings on this new day that arrives with new challenges to our faith and perseverance. Give us wisdom to perceive and apply the truth that Jesus teaches regarding the powerful influence of the church when we eagerly carry the message of salvation to all people of the world. Renew our confidence in the belief that when people sincerely obey the gospel, their lives are positively changed forever as they follow Jesus as Lord. In Christ name we pray, Amen.

Иную притчу сказал Он им: Царство Небесное подобно закваске, которую женщина, взяв, положила в три меры муки, доколе не вскисло всё. (От Матфея 13:33 Russian)

We had 20 people in our worship services yesterday! Afolabi gave up his seat and stood for most of the service. This was the first Sunday that we had that many to assemble to worship God and hear the message of the gospel. Yuri and Sveta the owners of a small dairy farm about an hour's drive away were with us again. Before our worship, Yuri told about their experience at a seminar conducted by a church of Christ in Donetsk where Alexander Prokopchuk preaches. The seminar was held in the historic city of Feodosia. That is in Crimea. Alexander also has a weekly TV broadcast that goes to all of Ukraine. Natalya, whom we met at our old location, came with her husband and they brought her friend Evgenia. Zhenya 'came forward' at the conclusion of the service and we studied with her for almost 2 hours. This young woman recently read all of the New Testament and the Psalms and is sincerely seeking the truth. We have another appointment with her this afternoon. Before the worship services, we had 4 children that attended our Sunday morning Bible class. They asked if they could stay for the worship. They assured us that they have their parents’ permission. Prior to the service, each one of them recited their memory verse for yesterday. It was a moving moment. We have much activity planned for this week. Your prayers are very important.

WORD OF THE DAY - Saturday 03 October 2009

Do not wear yourself out to be rich; cease from your own wisdom. When you set your eyes upon riches, they disappear. They make themselves wings and fly away toward the sky like an eagle. (Proverbs 23:4-5)

Almighty God, our Most Wise and Merciful Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for granting us the privilege to bask in the radiance of your kind provision on this new day. Help us to maintain a proper perspective toward all material things, so that we will not behave as if we are in love with riches and overlook the treasures of Heaven that are waiting the faithful. Give us the wisdom and courage to trust in your constant care as we work to bring glory to Christ. We offer this prayer in Jesus name, Amen.

Yesterday we received an invitation to attend a Friday night 'devotional' at the student’s dorm at the Nikolaev Maritime University. Most of the students were Nigerian with the exception of one Ukrainian. Sometimes they have more Ukrainian students present, but that was not the case last night. We have already met many of these young men around town or at our own meetings. They all speak English and most have a good command of Russian since that is the language used in their studies. The devo reminded me of when I used to go out once a week and conduct Bible studies on Tuesday night at the UMC campus in Crookston, Minnesota. That was almost 30 years ago, and the young Catholic priest who would also come on occasions would strum a drum and provide a little entertainment. All I could do then was reason from the scriptures. I have not improved much in that category over the years. The young men used a bongo drum to sing and energetically praise God. This was a new experience for Galina and me. They were very nice to us and listened attentively to my lesson from God's word. Before the meeting started, we just talked with some of them about eating habits of people in Nigeria. This was something interesting to me since I had used an illustration about okra once when talking about how God's word, the seed, can be transported to any country where there are receptive hearts. When I told that okra seeds were brought to America by African slaves, they were so interested since okra grows in that part of Africa where they live. We also talked about eating yams. Two of the young men, Afolabi and Akinrinde regularly attend all our meetings of the church. Some of the others will occasionally visit our meetings. Akinrinde was baptized when we came here in May. It is Saturday morning and now we prepare for our Children's Bible Class in a few hours. Thank you for your prayers!