SPECIAL REPORT ON "D"

#1 · February 11, 2009, 4:49 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on February 11, 2009, 4:49 pm
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Dear LUMglobal Friends, In-Pact Partners, and Family:

Many on this mailing list have asked about the situation with our young friend, "D", and his welfare. I received a letter today from "M", indicating that he "renounced" his faith before the court out of fear, he was not judged as an apostate, and therefore, was not executed. He, however, will be under the scrutiny and jurisdiction of the security agency for many years, and will not be allowed to return to Ukraine, at least for several years as I understand "M"'s letter.

You may have a problem with his decision, but before you judge him, please take time to read "M"'s letter and my response. Sometimes we are too quick to judge, and we piously think we would never renounce our faith in Christ. However, it is entirely possible that some of us might do the same thing if the circumstances were unique.

At any rate, thank you for praying for "D". Please continue praying for him that God will renew his mind, encourage his heart, and strengthen him for the future.

Please read on.

In His Bond,

Bob Tolliver

=====================

"M"'s Reply to my inquiry:

Dear pastor Bob and Jo Ann,

"D"'s dad had called hid friend here and told him that D was very much frightened in the court, and out of fear, he renounced his faith. Therefore he's been justified and hasn't been judged as an apostate. But most probably, he's not allowed to leave the country for the next 5 years and will be under the control of the security service.

We'll see what our Lord has for him in the future.

Love,

"M"

My Response to "M"'s report:

Thanks, "M",, for the update.

I'm actually not surprised that "D" took that course of action, and I hold absolutely no judgment against him for doing it. Frankly, if it meant his death, I actually hoped he would take that course of action. Having lived in Ukraine and knowing something of the history of Christians under Communism, I've concluded that often expediency and wisdom guide us to take courses of action that we normally would not take.

Many thousands of believers in the former Soviet Union took similar steps in order to avoid death, persecution, or prison . . . often because they felt they could do more good out in society than incarcerated or dead. Central Church in Kyiv, for example, chose to be a "registered" church because they believed Communism would collapse one day and by registering they would be able to minister in small ways, and could also have a building ready for when Communism did fall. That's exactly what happened, and now the church has an enormous ministry to thousands, and is the leading church in its denomination in the country. Unfortunately, many of their fellow believers condemned and judged them for that action, and still today there is anamosity between the "registered" and the "non-registered" churches in that denomination.

Veteran missionary colleagues told us often of having to do some things in their respective countries that they would never consider doing in a free and democratic country like the U.S. Even in small things such as parking illegally or paying bribes they sometimes found that expediency was the best choice and the greater virtue.

To many people, particularly your countrymen, they will see "D"'s renunciation as unthinkable. However, I would hope that they would think again before doing so.

First of all, fear is a powerful motivation, especially for a young person with a life ahead of him. It often causes us to do things we really don't want to do, but the alternatives are simply so overwhelming, that we feel we have no other choice.

Second, his recanting doesn't mean he has lost his salvation or that he was never saved in the first place. This illustrated in the life of Peter when he denied Christ. The Lord Himself went out of His way following the resurrection to assure Peter that he had not been cast aside. Knowing "D"'s zeal and determination to be baptized and follow the Lord in Kharkiv gives me assurance that he is still a follower of Jesus Christ, but for a time has to follow Him in the shadows. When you think about it, this is what many Christians in your homeland must do on a daily basis in order to stay alive and available to share the Gospel.

Also, it's important that we continue praying regularly for "D". The Holy Spirit is so powerful that He can continue nurturing and strengthening him, even under the eyes of the security people. And God can still use him, as he used you and others, to draw other countrymen to Christ.

We need to pray first that God gives him assurance of his salvation and that He still loves him as His own son . . . that he has not been abandoned or discarded for his action which he felt was necessary.

We also need to pray that the Holy Spirit brings God's Word to "D"'s mind and that he will find ways to continue his spiritual growth. If the seed of salvation was planted, it will grow and bear fruit. The seed is good, the soil of his heart is good; we just need to pray that the feeding and watering work of the Holy Spirit is consistent.

Finally, we need to pray that "D" will be safe, and that God will find ways to use him there in his home country as a "secret undercover agent" of the Gospel. We need to ask the Lord to allow him to connect with other believers, but to do so in such a way that it will not endanger any of them, and it will not jeopardize the spread of the Gospel.

I hope you can share these thoughts with the others where you are, both in your own group as well as with the entire church. Sometimes people from not-so-dangerous countries forget what it costs to follow Christ in some parts of the world.

I'm passing this information on to everyone on the "LUMglobal" and "Shoulder to Shoulder" letters because so many of them have been asking. Again, I'll keep it very generic and anonymous.

Thanks again for taking time to bring me up to date. If you have a way to communicate with him personally or through others, let him know that Jo Ann and I remember him and that special day, we are aware of the situation, we still have confidence in him, and we lift him up, knowing that the work that was begun will be completed (Phil 1:6; 2:13).

In Christ,

Pastor Bob and Jo Ann

Bob Tolliver
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: hope4kyiv-unsubscribe@associate.com   

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Dear LUMglobal Friends, In-Pact Partners, and Family:

Many on this mailing list have asked about the situation with our young friend, "D", and his welfare. I received a letter today from "M", indicating that he "renounced" his faith before the court out of fear, he was not judged as an apostate, and therefore, was not executed. He, however, will be under the scrutiny and jurisdiction of the security agency for many years, and will not be allowed to return to Ukraine, at least for several years as I understand "M"'s letter.

You may have a problem with his decision, but before you judge him, please take time to read "M"'s letter and my response. Sometimes we are too quick to judge, and we piously think we would never renounce our faith in Christ. However, it is entirely possible that some of us might do the same thing if the circumstances were unique.

At any rate, thank you for praying for "D". Please continue praying for him that God will renew his mind, encourage his heart, and strengthen him for the future.

Please read on.

In His Bond,

Bob Tolliver

=====================

"M"'s Reply to my inquiry:

Dear pastor Bob and Jo Ann,

"D"'s dad had called hid friend here and told him that D was very much frightened in the court, and out of fear, he renounced his faith. Therefore he's been justified and hasn't been judged as an apostate. But most probably, he's not allowed to leave the country for the next 5 years and will be under the control of the security service.

We'll see what our Lord has for him in the future.

Love,

"M"

My Response to "M"'s report:

Thanks, "M",, for the update.

I'm actually not surprised that "D" took that course of action, and I hold absolutely no judgment against him for doing it. Frankly, if it meant his death, I actually hoped he would take that course of action. Having lived in Ukraine and knowing something of the history of Christians under Communism, I've concluded that often expediency and wisdom guide us to take courses of action that we normally would not take.

Many thousands of believers in the former Soviet Union took similar steps in order to avoid death, persecution, or prison . . . often because they felt they could do more good out in society than incarcerated or dead. Central Church in Kyiv, for example, chose to be a "registered" church because they believed Communism would collapse one day and by registering they would be able to minister in small ways, and could also have a building ready for when Communism did fall. That's exactly what happened, and now the church has an enormous ministry to thousands, and is the leading church in its denomination in the country. Unfortunately, many of their fellow believers condemned and judged them for that action, and still today there is anamosity between the "registered" and the "non-registered" churches in that denomination.

Veteran missionary colleagues told us often of having to do some things in their respective countries that they would never consider doing in a free and democratic country like the U.S. Even in small things such as parking illegally or paying bribes they sometimes found that expediency was the best choice and the greater virtue.

To many people, particularly your countrymen, they will see "D"'s renunciation as unthinkable. However, I would hope that they would think again before doing so.

First of all, fear is a powerful motivation, especially for a young person with a life ahead of him. It often causes us to do things we really don't want to do, but the alternatives are simply so overwhelming, that we feel we have no other choice.

Second, his recanting doesn't mean he has lost his salvation or that he was never saved in the first place. This illustrated in the life of Peter when he denied Christ. The Lord Himself went out of His way following the resurrection to assure Peter that he had not been cast aside. Knowing "D"'s zeal and determination to be baptized and follow the Lord in Kharkiv gives me assurance that he is still a follower of Jesus Christ, but for a time has to follow Him in the shadows. When you think about it, this is what many Christians in your homeland must do on a daily basis in order to stay alive and available to share the Gospel.

Also, it's important that we continue praying regularly for "D". The Holy Spirit is so powerful that He can continue nurturing and strengthening him, even under the eyes of the security people. And God can still use him, as he used you and others, to draw other countrymen to Christ.

We need to pray first that God gives him assurance of his salvation and that He still loves him as His own son . . . that he has not been abandoned or discarded for his action which he felt was necessary.

We also need to pray that the Holy Spirit brings God's Word to "D"'s mind and that he will find ways to continue his spiritual growth. If the seed of salvation was planted, it will grow and bear fruit. The seed is good, the soil of his heart is good; we just need to pray that the feeding and watering work of the Holy Spirit is consistent.

Finally, we need to pray that "D" will be safe, and that God will find ways to use him there in his home country as a "secret undercover agent" of the Gospel. We need to ask the Lord to allow him to connect with other believers, but to do so in such a way that it will not endanger any of them, and it will not jeopardize the spread of the Gospel.

I hope you can share these thoughts with the others where you are, both in your own group as well as with the entire church. Sometimes people from not-so-dangerous countries forget what it costs to follow Christ in some parts of the world.

I'm passing this information on to everyone on the "LUMglobal" and "Shoulder to Shoulder" letters because so many of them have been asking. Again, I'll keep it very generic and anonymous.

Thanks again for taking time to bring me up to date. If you have a way to communicate with him personally or through others, let him know that Jo Ann and I remember him and that special day, we are aware of the situation, we still have confidence in him, and we lift him up, knowing that the work that was begun will be completed (Phil 1:6; 2:13).

In Christ,

Pastor Bob and Jo Ann

Bob Tolliver
lifeunlimited@pobox.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: hope4kyiv-unsubscribe@associate.com