SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #157 ---- 1/15/01
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We Fight The Good Fight in A New Millenium
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #157 ---- 1/15/01
TITLE: "REACHING MY CITY" (#3 ---- "Fundamental Principles About City
Searchers" B)
My Dear Friend and Partner in Ministry:
Winter has finally arrived in Kiev! Up to now weve had temperatures in
the mid 30s to low 40s with absolutely no snow. David Ilyin,
administrator at St. James Bible College, tells me that it has been that
way all winter ---- very unusual for north central Ukraine.
Well, Thursday night winter came ---- in the form of blasts of arctic
cold air and snow flurries, some heavy but short. Friday was windy and
frigid, and then, as the skies cleared Friday night, the temperature
plumeted. So, Saturday, as I write this letter, its a beautiful sunny
---- and extremely cold ---- Ukrainian day.
THIS PAST WEEK:
You may be wondering what Jo Ann and I are doing in Kiev, Ukraine, with
nine university students. Well, in 1994 while attending a Bible
conference in Ft. Worth, Texas, we heard about this newly begun school
for training young people for Gospel ministry. A church in the U.S. Had
been sending humanitarian aid to Chernobyl as a result of the nuclear
accident in 1986.
It became apparent that there was need for well trained long term local
leadership in the region ---- something that was tragically missing as a
result of so many years of Communism. One of the leaders in the church
was Paul Ilyin, of Ukrainian descent. So the St. James Bible College
was begun in 1990 in the immediate Chernobyl region for that purpose.
After a few short years it moved to Kiev where it now is located. Jo
Ann and I learned of it a year or two later and made our first visit
there in January, 1995.
Since that time we have made twelve trips to eastern and Central Europe,
primarily in Croatia and Bosnia. It has been a joy to return to the
origin of the vision this year.
So ---- what have we been doing this past week? For example, . . . .
Monday, Jan 8: Leaving at 7:30 a.m., we traveled back down to the
villages where we spent the day before (about which I wrote last week in
some detail), going with three of the four area pastors to another
village. This new church runs about 50 to 100 people, but, unlike the
first church, meets in homes except for special events such as the one
we went to Monday.
Their regular weekly services are held on Mondays. So, it was natural
to have their special Christmas program that day. Our team again was
involved with singing and testimonies. However, because there were a
large number of unbelievers, I was asked to preach an evangelistic
message on Christmas. I chose Galatians 4:4, When the time was right,
God sent His Son, born of a virgin . . . . and spoke on Whats So
Important About Christmas? Because so few people recognize Jesus as
anyone special, very little is done from a religious perspective. So,
this occasion gives believers an ideal opportunity to witness strongly.
Following the services we went to the pastors home for another
unbelievable Ukrainian feast. Then again into the homes, going house to
house, bringing Christmas greetings and singing a few carols and praise
choruses. We were in the homes of a large number of unbelievers. It
was awesome to see the conviction of the Holy Spirit on many of them as
we shared a simple confession of the Gospel in word and song.
Tuesday, Jan 9: This day was a day off in that we were free all day
until around 4:00. By the time the van picked us up, most team members
were overwhelmed by cabin fever, and ready to do an evangelistic
outreach in the center of downtown Kiev with, believe it or not, an
Orthodox priest.
The thing is, he never showed up. We waited for about 45 minutes at the
appointed location, then Sasa our translator took us for a walk down the
beautiful light filled main street while our driver stayed behind just
in case.
After two hours and no priest, we headed back toward the apartments and
had a late supper at ---- McDonalds! You can get a McChicken combo meal
for about $2.00 U.S. Then it was off to the apartments and to bed ----
at least theoretically.
Wednesday, Jan 10: This was a sight seeing day (theyre having us do all
that this week because when classes begin next week therell be no time
at all). We then returned to the apartments in time for the team to go
to a neighborhood church and participate in their regular Wednesday
evening services. In addition to singing and testimonies, Kurt
preached.
Jo Ann and I stayed home so I could continue working on my teaching
syllabus for next two weeks of class time. Ive had to type everything
in to the administrators Mac laptop because I cant transfer anything
on my IMB compatible to his Mac. Its almost like starting from
scratch. Praise the Lord I ran off a hard copy of the syllabus before
we left home.
Thursday, Jan 11: This day held probably the most moving experience thus
far, Monday night notwithstanding. At the last minute we were invited
to do a program at a local shelter for homeless children ages three
through fifteen. This is a government run shelter to which children are
taken when the police find them on the streets with nowhere to go.
It was such a heartbreaking sight to see. We had been told there were
about fifty children there, but when we arrived we discovered there were
105 of them. This is where they are taken as a sort of half way house
before they are either put in orphanages or foster homes. Almost all of
them are or will be adoptable. The stories we heard were very familiar
to Jo Ann and me as we thought about our five special grandchildren from
Russia.
When these children first arrive, their heads are shaved in order to be
treated for lice, they are given baths, clean clothing, food, and a nice
bed. They have some good educational programs available as well as
psychological counseling. It is not a Christian agency, although two
graduates of St. James work there, and there are other believers
employed among the 70 staff.
Our team really outdid themselves there. Fun songs, personal
testimonies, special music, ---- and the children entertained us with
songs and folk dances. And, did they ever! God used Kurts testimony
about the death of his father while he was a young child, and Tims
testimony about being adopted at age three weeks to really prepare the
hearts of the children. At the last moment I felt prompted to talk
briefly to the children.
I shared with them how they could have hope ---- for three reasons. One
is because they were uniquely created with a capacity to overcome
difficult things and have hope that things could and would be better.
Two is because of people like the staff and like friends who could
encourage and give them hope. And, three, because God knew them and
loved them and had offered hope through Jesus. I was a little concerned
that we had been a little too strong, but the director called David
Ilyin and told him it was absolutely the best program they had ever had.
We finished our time there by giving the children and staff 175 apples
and 175 oranges we had purchased just for that reason. Wed love to go
back.
During the afternoon we did a little more sight seeing before getting
back to the apartments barely in time to leave again for church services
in another neighborhood church.
That evening, while Jo Ann and I again remained at the apartment, the
rest of the team went to another church and participated in typical
fashion. This time Chris preached. One woman was saved that night.
Friday, January 12: That day had a later start to some sight seeing
before driving out of town about an hour to another church. Arranged at
the last minute to replace our expected participation in a youth service
with the Orthodox priest (we never have found out just what happened,
but we know God set us up for a divine appointment where we did go), we
participated in an extremely lively and animated youth praise service.
Again, our team did an excellent job. Tim was scheduled to preach, but
when we got there we found they already had someone to do that.
(Typical planning in the Ukraine.)
Saturday, January 13: Getting a much needed later start, we left our
apartments at 12:30 for a short afternoon back down on St. Andrews
Street for final shopping and late lunch. Then it was off to yet
another church for a big youth service at 4:30.
That was Sasas final day with us. She has been such an incredible
blessing; shes even spent the night two or three times with the girls
in their apartment.
Its was hard to tell her goodbye, but she has twelve final exams next
week at the institute (university) where she is studying psychology.
Friday while we were shopping at the open market, the team bought her a
boom box with am/fm radio, audio cassette, and CD player. She was
overwhelmed. She had absolutely no audio or video entertainment stuff
of any kind in her apartment. She had been praying and hoping to buy
something like that someday in the future when she had the money. We
were glad we could bless her in that way. We were blessed more.
MONDAYS CHURCH:
One of the most moving experiences of the trip up to then for me was on
Monday after we had concluded a full day of ministry with the little
church there, pastored by one of the four young men about whom I wrote
last week. It was difficult for me when the time arrived for us to bid
farewell to our Christian brothers and sisters and head back to Kiev,
some hour or so away.
We drove out to the edge of town where the road splits and circles the
village. Standing together in a circle in the middle of the shoulder
of the road where it forks. One of the pastors told a story of an old
man who had come to an area years ago with a burden to reach all the
towns and villages of this area.
He had walked mile after mile, praying for the people in each village,
asking God to raise up believers in each village. He did this day after
day. Whenever he was tired, the burden for the people of those villages
would drive him on.
Finally, exhausted and fully spent, he decided he could go no further
even though there were two more villages for which he wanted to pray.
He decided he would come back another day and do that.
He never did.
Years later many believers could be found in all those village ----
except those two for whom this old man had failed to pray. Those
villages were highly resistant to the Gospel, and the work there was
never a lasting work. These four young men determined that such a thing
would never happen under their watch care of the thirty plus villages
God had put in their heart, so they pray, minister, and witness
constantly in those places.
As we stood in the foggy darkness last Monday, we prayed for the village
and those surrounding it, for the pastors and their families, for the
new believers (the first woman ever saved in that village had been a
believer for only four years, but most of the believers in that village
had become Christians as a result of her witness), and for the cloud of
spiritual darkness to be blown away by the moving of the Holy Spirit.
It was quite an emotional time as we got in the vans and left that
handful of believers standing in the rain waving at us and then walking
off into the darkness to continue going from house to house not only in
that village but at least two more that night.
PRAYER DRIVEN BY BURDENED VISION:
I saw in those four young pastors a common fundamental characteristic of
anyone who will reach his city for Christ ---- Prevailing Prayer.
Prayer that is driven by a burdened vision. A vision that is driven by
heart break rather than enthusiasm. A vision that comes from the
darkness of weeping rather than the excitement of the future. A vision
that emerges from the past into now rather than moving from now to the
future.
Thats a very different type of vision that most of us want to have.
Such a burden driven vision that leads to prevailing prayer is
illustrated in the life of Nehemiah. I see three elements in Nehemiahs
burdened prayer.
1. First, he clearly recognized the real needs of the people (v 3).
In great distress and reproach, the people were living in fear and
ridicule. In that the walls were broken down, they were also
unprotected and vulnerable to the enemy with no way to protect
themselves. Their sense of purpose and meaning to life had essentially
been stripped away from them by the intimidation of their masters and
the dailiness of their condition.
2. Second, he certainly had a correct attitude toward their need (v 4)
Reacting with weeping, it is clear Nehemiah was filled with compassion
for what he saw ---- something many modern day church leaders have never
had. Reacting in brokenness, he mourned and grieved over the situation
for days.
However, praise the Lord, reacting in faith, Nehemiah called out to his
God for deliverance for his people. He prayed!
3. Finally, Nehemiah did the kind of praying that was needed in such a
tragic circumstance ---- prevailing intercession (v 5-8). I
particularly like these verses because it really gives us insight into
Nehemiahs heart.
1) First, Nehemiah prevailed in prayer because he knew Gods majesty
and power (5). He knew He was a great and awesome God. Rather than
being intimidated and fearful over coming before such a God, he did the
opposite ---- he knew that because God was such a God, he was
approachable. Many of us run and hide.
2) Second, Nehemiah prevailed in prayer because of Gods honor and
faithfulness (5). Nehemiah knew God well enough to know that He would
never allow His honor and character to be maligned by failing to respond
to such a prayer offered by a man such as Nehemiah. He knew God was a
God Who preserves the covenant. What was the covenant? Look at
Deuteronomy 7:9 ---- the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His
lovingkindness to a thouandth generation with those who love Him and
keep His commandments.
3) Third, Nehemiah prevailed in prayer because he knew God was One
who honors obedience (5c). He was fully confident that God provided
lovingkindness toward those who . . . Keep his commandments (5c).
Since he was being as obedient as he knew to be, he fully expected God
to act clearly and decisively in response to his prayer.
4) Next, Nehemiah prevailed in prayer becaue of Gods compassion and
grace (6). In spite of the fact that, by his own testimony, Nehemiahs
people had acted very corruptly against Thee and have not kept the
commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst
command Thy servant Moses (7), he also knew that God would have
compassion on a repentant heart and would give grace to the broken
spirit.
5) Finally, Nehemiah prevailed in prayer because of His confidence in
Gods purposes (8-10). In fact, he even rehearsed those facts to God in
stating that not only did God promise retribution toward rebellion and
sin, but also compassion, forgiveness, and renewed purpose for those who
repent and obey. Then he capped it off by quoting Gods covenant
promise to gather them from there and will bring them to the place
where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell (9b).
And, just to finalize everything, Nehemiah almost brazenly tells God,
They are Thy servants and Thy people whom Thou didst redeem by Thy
great power and by Thy strong hand (10). Frankly, he served the ball
back into Gods court ---- five personal pronouns directed clearly at
God Himself.
Now, I call that courage. Thy servants, Thy people, Thou didst
redeem, by Thy great power and Thy strong hand.
IN CONCLUSION:
I wonder ---- is it possible that some of our cities are still in
bondage because, like Jonah, we feel they deserve it? Or maybe because,
like Thomas, we dont really believe it because weve seen no evidence
of Divine victory? Or maybe because, frankly, we just dont care?
Or maybe theres another reason.
The point is this, my friend ---- God wants to save our cities no
matter how large or small, no matter how corrupt or family friendly.
The question is ---- do we have the fundamental ingredient of Prevailing
Prayer driven by Burdened Vision to see that it happens?
Our cities are at stake.
I pray that God will put in your heart and mine the drivenness I saw in
those young pastors that made them walk off into the rainy darkness of a
closing day, still determined to go to every house in their village with
the message that Christ is born, was crucified, is risen, and has come
to seek and save the lost.
Thats the only thing that will save any city, large or small.
Have a great week. And, pray for us as our team ministers all week to
students, and as I teach some 43 seniors for the next two weeks.
In His Bond,
Bob Tolliver ---- Romans 1:12
Life Unlimited Ministries
Copyright January, 2001. All rights reserved.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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