The object of the Christian ministry is to convert sinners and to edify the body of Christ. No faithful minister can possibly rest short of this. Applause, fame, popularity, honor, wealth – all these are vain. If souls are not won, if saints are not matured, our ministry itself is vain. The question, therefore, which each of us has to answer to his own conscience is, “Has it been the end of my ministry, has it been the desire of my heart to save the lost and guide the saved? Is this my aim in every sermon I preach, in every visit I pay?”
Horatius Bonar

post-Soviet Union persecution of Christians

post-Soviet Union persecution of Christians

by Glen on 2002-12-26 00:19:36

(ASSIST News Service)

VOM has received reports of persecution directed at evangelical churches in countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Analysts attribute a new wave of violence to concern among the traditional religions that are losing members to the rapidly spreading evangelical movement.
Belarus’ repressive new religion law enters into legal force on Saturday, November 16. After that, all unregistered religious activity, all communities with fewer than 20 members, any religious activity in private homes will be illegal, and all religious literature will be subject to compulsory prior censorship. Officials in one district told a Pentecostal pastor they would not be allowed to speak in tongues.