The Signs of a True Messiah

The Old Testament lists many evidence of what the Messiah will do. For example, it says that the Messiah will become the King of Israel and will establish peace and justice forever.

Jeremiah 23:5
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

Followers of Jesus believe these prophecies will be fulfilled when Jesus comes back to establish peace and justice and rule the earth from Jerusalem.

However, there were many other prophecies in the Old Testament as to what the Messiah will do. One of those things was raising the dead. For example, when John sends a message from prison through his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah, Jesus basically tells him that it should be obvious he is the Messiah from all the miracles that he is performing.

Matthew 11:4-5
Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[a]are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor."

Performing miracles was proof that Jesus is the Messiah, which is why whenever Jesus performed miracles, such as the raising of Lazarus, more and more people in Israel believed in him as the Messiah of Israel.

Most of these Messianic prophecies are given in Isaiah:

Isaiah 29:18
In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

Isaiah 35:5
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Isaiah 35:6
Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners

Basically the Messiah's job is to fix everything that's wrong with the world. That's his mission from God. A part of that mission of Jesus was fulfilled during 3 years of his ministry on earth, a part of it is being fulfilled right now, and the rest of it will be fulfilled in the End of Days, the ultimate End of History.


PS: By the way, I was recently reading these prophecies and was surprised by something. I thought it was interesting that the Bible says that in God's Kingdom we will not remember the past. I have always wondered about this, and it looks like the answer is that we will not remember our past lives. Check this out:

Isaiah 65:17
"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind."

Another interesting thing is that we will learn directly from God, but we will not teach each other:

Isaiah 2:3
Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 31:34
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
In fact, everyone will be filled with knowledge of God:

Isaiah 11:9
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

===

McCain's VP choice a woman -- and a post-denominationalist

McCain's pick for VP is a non-denominational Christian. I thought that was pretty interesting. I believe that's a first in American politics.

She also very strongly pro-life and unlike many politicians, has sqeaky-clean ethics and made a career out of fighting corruption. I am impressed.

"Palin's nomination, therefore, does not simply mark a breakthrough for women, or for western states. She also puts a face on the fastest-growing and most dynamic segment of global Christianity these days – even if it's proving difficult for journalists and political handicappers to get their minds around."

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1739
McCain's VP choice a woman -- and a post-denominationalist

By JOHN ALLEN JR.

Published:

August 30, 2008

News Analysis
When news broke yesterday that Republican presidential candidate John McCain had named little-known Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate, religion writers across the country and the curious in the blogosphere scrambled to figure out her denominational affiliation.

Palin was briefly touted as the first Pentecostal to run on a major party ticket. A spokesperson, however, told the Associated Press yesterday that although the 44-year-old mother of five grew up in the Assemblies of God, the largest organized Pentecostal denomination in the world with an estimated 57 million members, she does not consider herself a "Pentecostal."

Her primary place of worship in Juneau, Alaska's capital, is said to be the "Church on the Rock," an independent congregation founded in January 2000. Palin's spokesperson, however, said the governor also attends different churches.

The initial confusion surrounding Palin's denominational identity, therefore, has a simple explanation: She doesn't have one.

Instead, Palin appears to be part of that rapidly expanding galaxy of "post-denominational" Christianity, where elements of Evangelical and Pentecostal styles of faith and worship fuse into a myriad of unique local combinations, and where old denominational loyalties are essentially dead.

Though post-denominationalists are, by definition, difficult to catalog and index, they're unquestionably numerous. A 2007 survey conducted by LifeWay found that fully one-third of American Protestants were contemplating attending a different church in the future, and of that group, only one in four said it would be important that their future church belong to the same denomination as the one they currently attend.

Globally, the World Christian Encyclopedia estimates that roughly 20 percent of the world's 2.2 billion Christians today are part of what it calls "independent Christianity," defined as forms of faith and worship "separated from, uninterested in, and independent of historic, denominationalist Christianity." Typically, these folks eschew any label other than "Christian" for their religious identity.

Religious sociologists and theologians point to any number of explanations for the rise of post-denominationalism: the spread of a consumerist ethos and "comparison shopping" within Christianity; disillusionment with what are seen as petty denominational differences; the increasing liberalism of some mainline Protestant denominations, leading more conservative church-goers to seek alternatives; even the category-blurring character of post-modernity itself.

To be sure, not all post-denominationalists are conservative Evangelicals. The "emergent church" movement, for example, is often considered an expression of independent Christianity, and the relatively loose and flexible approach to creedal matters of some emerging churches – sometimes called "generous orthodoxy" – is regarded as unacceptably fuzzy by many Evangelicals. Globally, however, the largest share of the post-denominational universe is occupied by various forms of Evangelical and Pentecostal spirituality, with a strong emphasis on Biblical literalism and a lively sense of the supernatural.

Some of these independent Christians are even hesitant to adopt descriptive labels such as "Evangelical" or "Pentecostal," for fear that such terminology could breed a new form of denominationalism. This is part of what makes estimating the total Evangelical or Pentecostal population in America, or the world, such a maddening exercise, because depending upon the day of the week and what mood they're in, many believers these days (including, perhaps, Palin) might consider themselves both, or neither.

Although independent Christians spurn membership cards, they typically have little difficulty recognizing one other – in part, because there's a shared culture formed by music, conventions in praise and worship, and spiritual language, which different congregations dip in and out of to varying degrees.

For example, those who watched Palin's announcement speech yesterday in Dayton, Ohio, might have noticed a throaty roar from the crowd when she said, "We are expected to govern with integrity and goodwill and clear convictions and a servant's heart."

That reaction wasn't simply about approval of good government; the phrase "servant's heart" is a popular bit of Evangelical terminology, used as a short-hand for Christian humility. A quick web search reveals thousands of churches, ministries, and bands that use some variation of "servant's heart" in the title; there's even a residential cleaning service in Calgary called "Servant's Heart."

The term is so common, in fact, that Christian comedian Tim Hawkins has poked fun at it. "I hate it when somebody tells me I've got a servant's heart," Hawkins says. "It means they want me to start stacking chairs."

When Palin pledged to govern with a "servant's heart," Christians, especially those with an Evangelical background, had no trouble recognizing one of their own, even without the convenience of a denominational label on Palin's résumé. (It's akin to a public figure making reference to a "near occasion of sin" or a "state of grace"; even without an official bio, Catholics would recognize a fellow member of the tribe.)

Palin's nomination, therefore, does not simply mark a breakthrough for women, or for western states. She also puts a face on the fastest-growing and most dynamic segment of global Christianity these days – even if it's proving difficult for journalists and political handicappers to get their minds around.

Finally, there's a bit of political irony for Catholics. Given Palin's strong pro-life credentials, it's likely she will appeal to the most strongly "denominational" Catholics, those most devoted to traditional Catholic identity and teaching. Meanwhile, what one might call "post-denominational Catholics," meaning those for whom religious branding carries less theological significance, may embrace Palin's Democratic rival, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, the lone Roman Catholic on either ticket, because of his progressive stands on social and political matters.

In other words, the denominationalists on the Catholic side will back the post-denominationalist, while the Catholic post-denominationalists will probably pick the candidate who bears the Catholic denominational label.

No wonder it's all so confusing.

(Allen is NCR Senior Correspondent.)

===

Comparing America in Iraq and Russia in Georgia

If you read the Bible, you can't say that all violence is wrong. Otherwise, no Christian could ever join the police or the military. (Because they often have to kill some people to save others, and there is nothing morally wrong with that. It's the reality of life in a fallen world.) This is why I am not a pacifist. United States did not break international laws in entering Iraq. As I found later they did break their own Constitution, which requires the Congress to declare war instead of the President. (This rule has been broken by all US Presidents since WWII who have entered any conflict - all of these conflicts prior to the 1990s were started by Democrats.) As soon as I found out they broke the constitutional rule, I no longer support the war in Iraq, even if it was otherwise justifiable. Because I believe everyone should obey the highest law of the land, including (and especially) the government.

However, I simply don't see how the two conflicts (Iraq and Georgia) can be equated:

1. There was serious CIA intelligence saying that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and Saddam clearly said he had them and will use them against US. The only thing Georgia has is an oil pipeline that threatens Russian oil monopoly in Europe. (It's far away from the conflict zone and the Russian planes bombed it!)

2. Saddam Hussein was a dictator murdering an average of 270 people a day during his 20-year rule. (For a total of over 2,000,000.) Georgia is a democratic pro-Western country, with high levels of freedom and economic growth.

3. George Bush asked for and received the authorization of the UN security council before invading Iraq. Russia simply invaded a sovereign neighboring nation without even attempting to make a case for it to other nations. They only made excuses afterwards, and acted like anyone who was criticizing Russia (which is pretty much the whole world except for Cuba and Belarus - both ruled by dictators), was simply misunderstanding Russia's noble actions.

4. Russia handed out Russian passports to residents of South Ossetia and then claimed it had to go in to protect Russian citizens. That would be equivalent to the United States giving American passports to Quebec residents and giving them lots of weapons, then encouraging Quebec people to start shooting at other Canadians, wait until Canada's military responds to this violence and then invade Canada "to protect its own citizens" and claim that Canada started this war. All just to make the American territory bigger by adding Quebec to it. (They are now handing out Russian passports in Crimea and encouraging ethnic Russians to demand separation from Ukraine - quite likely to justify invading Ukraine.)

5. America has already spent almost a trillion dollars on the Iraq invasion (8% of the entire annual American economy!), and have gotten nothing in return, except for several thousands dead Americans. So, I am not sure what greed you are talking about in the American case. Much of that money is going to rebuild Iraq, giving them things that many Iraqis didn't even have during Saddam's rule - clean water for everyone, electricity for everyone, telephone lines for everyone, sharing of national oil profits with everyone, etc. And the Americans are hiring Iraqis to build these things - thus creating new jobs for Iraqis. The Russians destroyed the Georgian city of Gori, bombed the port city of Poti far away from the conflict zone, destroyed the country's main railway bridge, burned the forests of the Borjomi Nature Preserve (where the Borjomi mineral water comes from), bombed civilian airports and civilians in Georgian cities far outside the conflict area. And now they are looting all the areas they are in, trying to steal everything they can and take it into Russia. Although Russia is a much richer country than Georgia! (This Russian looting reminds me of the black criminals looting stores and houses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the city. That's the level of culture being displayed right now.) And this is not all, because sooner or later the Russian plan is to take away Abkhazia and South Ossetia and make them a part of the Russian territory.

6. The Americans used expensive precision weapons to minimize damage to civilians. Russians were using cheap cluster bombs, which destroy everything living in a large area. (Basically instead of destroying a particular target, a cluster boms has many sharpt pieces of metal that fly in all directions and kill or wound everyone around who is exposed to it.)

7. The Americans were not dressing into Iraqi military uniforms and committing atrocities, and no one ever accused them of it. There is evidence the Russians were doing it.

There are many more unfovorable comparisons that can be made, but I think this is enough to make my point. The Russian invasion is illegal and unnecessary, the use of force is disproportionate (swatting a fly with a sledge-hammer), and the looting and ethnic cleansing of Georgians is immoral, as is the destruction of Georgian property and infrastructure after the conflict was over.

Russians and Ossetians are looting Georgia

I am honestly not sure how any Christian can seriously support what the Russian government is doing in Georgia, although I have met Russian Christians who apparently do. Honestly, they should watch something besides Russian TV news, which in Russia are mostly government-owned or government-controlled, and typically contain loads and loads of government propaganda. Having watched a number of Russian news reports I can say that the only thing you get from it is the portrayal of Russians as heroes and Georgians as criminals, and all information is manipulated to make it look that way. In the past few months as the Russian government was preparing for an invasion into Georgia, the Russian TV was so anti-Georgian, that the Russian public actually began to see the tiny nation of Georgia (whose military is 20 times smaller) as Russia's enemy number 1, instead of the traditional #1 spot being occupied by the United States.

According to multiple independent sources, Russian regular troops, Ossetian militias and irregular Kuban Cossack units are all marauding across Georgia, looting people's homes, stealing everything they can take away (furniture, dishes, vehicles, computers, pieces of wood, even toilets!) and burning everything they can't. There are multiple eyewitness accounts of Russian soldiers telling Georgians to leave their houses or be killed. After the people leave, everything from their houses is taken and the houses are burned. In some cases, even the houses are taken apart brick by brick and everything is carted away into Russia. This is going on across Georgia, wherever Russian troops are, not just in the Georgian villages in South Ossetia. Russian troops even stole humanitarian aid from the Georgian port of Poti, along with 20 American military Humvees that belong to the American government and were used in a military exercise earlier this month. Eyewitnesses say that Russian troops are also dressing into the uniforms of Georgian soldiers and committing atrocities, something that the Soviet KGB was doing in Western Ukraine after WWII, by creating fake Bandera troops and killing peaceful people, and then telling everyone how evil they were. (This was proven by documents released by the KGB after Soviet Union fell.) There's plenty of evidence on the Internet, from independent organizations like Human Right Watch, who have people on the ground watching the situation, to videos taken on the ground in Georgia.

Pictures of Ossetian militias looting and burning Georgian villages: http://www.hrw.org/photos/2008/georgia0808/

Russian troops dressed as Georgians commit atrocities against Georgian people:


Russian soldiers steal US Humvees from Georgia:



In this video the Russian soldiers are stealing a number of boats from the port of Poti. When one of them falls off the military truck, they simply set it on fire in the middle of the road:


Russian soldiers took computers and air-conditioners from a Georgian school building:


Russian commander allows Ossetians to steal a car belonging to a Georgian:


There's plenty more information around if you are willing to look at it.

The basic lesson of all this is that if Russian "peacekeepers" ever come for a visit to your contry, you better hide everything you own, because if you don't they will steal it or destroy it. Interestingly, the first thing the Russian soldiers were demanding from Georgians was wine, for which Georgia is famous. I am guessing if they ever come to Ukraine, the first thing they will be demanding is salo from Ukrainians. Ukraine is taking Russia's aggressiveness seriously and is preparing for a potential invasion from Russia in the future. And Ukraine is not alone in its fears. Many other European countries, even beside Baltic Republics and Poland, are seriously rethinking their relations with Russian Federation. For example, both Finland and Sweden are thinking seriously about the military threat from Moscow. Austrians are also upset. As are many other nations.

"Мы не хотим жить в состоянии ожидания опасности от России, - сказала министр иностранных дел Австрии и подчеркнула, что после таких событий Европа не может просто "перевернуть страницу и перейти к очередным делам с Россией"
http://maidan.org.ua/static/news/2007/1219381874.html

Сегодняшний конфликт в Грузии заставляет Финляндию снова задуматься о целесообразности членства в НАТО. ... Нападение России на Грузию показало, что военная агрессия не исключается и в северо-европейском направлении. Например, действующая шведская доктрина, согласно которой Швеции не грозит военная агрессия, уже признана устаревшей.
http://maidan.org.ua/static/news/2007/1219378691.html

===

Bloodshed still continues

Please continue to pray for the situation in Georgia. The international organization Human Right Watch is reporting from Georgia that Ossetian militias (боевики) are continuing to attack Georgian villages under control of Russian troops, burning, looting, killing some people and kidnapping all men. Most of the people left in the villages are elderly, since they can't run.

More here:

Russia/Georgia: Militias Attack Civilians in Gori Region
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/16/georgi19630.htm

===

Ukrainian Baptists and National Identity

The following article is from the REALIS center in Kyiv, which is a group of Christians doing serious intellectual work.

To read more REALIS articles in Russian and Ukrainian, go here:

http://realis.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=35&Itemid=48

This is their English homepage:

http://realis.org/index.php?lang=en

More REALIS articles are available here:

http://realis.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=35&Itemid=48

Українські баптисти і національне питання
Written by Решетников Юрий Евгеньевич, PhD
http://realis.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=48

Цього року в євангельсько-баптистському середовищі України практично непоміченою залишилася доволі знакова для вітчизняного баптизму дата – 80 років Четвертому з’їзду українських баптистів, на якому було схвалено рішення про створення окремого Всеукраїнського союзу об’єднань баптистів, правонаступниками якого є усі на сьогодні існуючі в Україні євангельсько-баптистські угруповання. Міркування над місцем цієї події в історії вітчизняного євангельського руху, безумовно, приводять нас до надзвичайно актуального питання, а саме до проблеми самоусвідомлення вітчизняних євангельських віруючих себе як частини української нації та їхнього ставлення до національного питання.

Насамперед необхідно зазначити, що український євангельських рух сформувався за умов існування Російської імперії, а отже під впливом й відомої національної політики, особливо стосовно України, російської самодержавної влади. Нагадаємо, що вже у 1692 році на Московському православному соборі було заборонено майже всю українську богословську та церковно-богослужбову літературу. 1720 року Петро І забороняє книгодрукування духовної літератури «особливим наріччям» (тобто українською мовою) [Історія православної церкви в Україні: Збірка наукових праць. – К.: Четверта хвиля, 1997. – С. 168]. Петровський указ став зразком для сотень указів, циркулярів, інструкцій російських державних органів щодо книгодрукування в Україні аж до початку ХХ ст., що наочно свідчать про незмінність протягом століть русифікаторської політики царизму щодо національної культури України.

Розвиток українского національного руху на початку 60-х років ХІХ ст. призвів до вкрай негативної реакції самодержавної влади на все українське, до ототожнення природного бажання українського народу читати, писати та вчитися рідною мовою з бунтівними ідеями. Показовим є циркуляр російського міністра внутрішніх справ Валуєва 1863 року, в якому міститься теза про те, що „не було, нема й бути не може ніякої української мови”, а також заборона наукових, релігійних і педагогічних публікацій українською мовою. Друкувати „малоросійським наріччям” дозволялося лише художні твори [Там само. – С. 224. Субтельний О. Україна: історія / Пер. з англ. – 3-тє вид. – К.: Либідь, 1993. – С. 351]. В тому ж дусі був виданий і так званий Емський указ 1876 року, що забороняв ввезення і публікацію українських книжок, використання української мови у театральних виставах, викладання українською мовою в початкових школах та передбачав вилучення із шкільних бібліотек українських книжок. У 1870 році попечитель Київського навчального округу зазначав: „Закон Божий і російська мова – два головні важелі у справі обрусіння краю і культурного закріплення його за російською народністю” [Історія релігії в Україні: У 10-ти т. // Редкол.: А.Колодний (голова) та ін. – Т. 3. Православ’я в Україні. - К.: Український центр духовної культури, 1999. – С. 283].

Поширення російського перекладу Святого Письма у ХІХ ст. на теренах Російської імперії слушно вважається однією з передумов євангельського пробудження в Російській імперії, наслідком чого стало виникнення вітчизняного євангельського руху. Водночас підкреслимо, що в тогочасних умовах мова йшла про поширення виключно російського, а не українського перекладу, в тому числі серед євангельських віруючих. А це крім духовного пробудження мало, на жаль, й інші наслідки. М.С.Грушевський розглядає як негативне явище те, що євангельський рух «увесь час проходив у формах московських». Причину цього він вбачає в тому, що «німці-проповідники.., даючи своїм українським прозелітам Св.Письмо на московській мові і московські ж співанники та інші різні побожні писання, щиро були переконані, що дають їм літературу на їх рідній мові». Внаслідок цього «українські баптисти… заховали московську мову в богослуженні і московське Св.Письмо…» [Грушевський М.С. Духовна Україна. - К., 1994. - С. 124]. Також й сучасний баптистський історик В.Г.Домашовець відзначає: «Дошкульною проблемою була недостача української духовної літератури - Святого Письма, співанників і богословських підручників» [Домашовець В. Євангельсько-баптистський рух в Україні // Євангельська нива. - 1997. - № 1. - С. 14]. Дійсно, поширення саме російськомовної релігійної літератури, особливо Біблії та співанників, в українському євангельському середовищі призвело до виникнення своєрідної російськомовної церковної субкультури в євангельських церквах, навіть у районах, де для повсякденного спілкування, в тому числі і членами євангельських церков, використовується українська або інша неросійська національна мова.

З іншого боку, необхідно зазначити, що з різних причин, національне питання не стояло серед пріоритетних для українського євангельського руху на початку його існування. Водночас відцентрові процеси, пов’язані з падінням Російської імперії 1917 р., формуванням української державності, вплинули й на українських баптистів. Так, з першого по восьме жовтня 1918 р. в Києві відбувся перший всеукраїнський з'їзд баптистів, на якому було покладено початок організації Союзу баптистів України. В цьому контексті було прийнято рішення почати видрук журналу «Український баптист».

Своє формальне завершення цей процес набув у 1921 р. на Другому всеукраїнському з'їзді баптистів у Єлизаветграді, на якому було проголошено створення Всеукраїнського союзу баптистів. Проте на третьому з'їзді, який відбувся у Києві в 1922 р., було вирішено приєднати Всеукраїнський союз до Всеросійського союзу баптистів. Якщо пригадати, що 1922 рік був роком створення СРСР, то рішення Третього всеукраїнського з'їзду про приєднання ще раз стверджує думку про те, що віруючі не можуть бути вільними від тих процесів, які відбуваються в усьому суспільстві. З іншого боку, воно наочно свідчить про те, що ідеї творення української державності, самоусвідомлення себе українцями, принаймні на той час, ще не набули свого поширення у вітчизняному баптизмі.

Перебування у складі Всеросійського союзу мало для українських баптистів не тільки позитивні наслідки, але й негативні, пов'язані з неможливістю оперативного керівництва українськими громадами з московського центру. Тому українські баптисти знову повернулись до ідеї свого власного союзу зі своїм центром, що дозволило би більш оперативно реагувати на ті процеси, що відбувались у житті громад, та ефективно коректувати їх діяльність. Це питання було офіційно закріплено Четвертим всеукраїнським з'їздом баптистів, який відбувся 12-17 травня 1925 р. у Харкові (тодішній столиці України) за домовленістю з Пленумом Ради Всеросійського союзу баптистів і на якому було вирішено заснувати Всеукраїнський союз об'єднань баптистів, зберігаючи при цьому «повну єдність духу в союзі миру» зі всім братством баптистів Радянського Союзу [Див. додаток 2]. Тобто мова не йшла про сепаратистські тенденції, але поява українського союзу була відгуком на потреби громад в ефективній взаємодопомозі. Водночас можемо припустити, що на усвідомлення українськими баптистами необхідності власного союзу могли вплинути й тогочасні процеси українізації та коренізації, особливо з огляду на те, що частина впливових українських баптистських діячів, наприклад Іван Кмета-Єфимович, займала виразну патріотичну позицію. Водночас необхідно зазначити, що бажання українських баптистів мати свій союз далеко не усіма було позитивно сприйнято у Московському братському центрі [М.Тимошенко. Согласованность работы // Баптист. – 1925. - № 6-7. – С. 29. Додаток 3]. У лютому 1926 р. вийшов з друку перший примірник журналу «Баптист України», редактором якого спочатку був О.Г.Альохин, потім П.Я.Дацко, а пізніше І.Кмета-Єфимович.

Зазначимо, що українізація не обмежилась лише формальним створенням союзу, але торкнулася видання духовної літератури, мовної політики журналу „Баптист України”. Програма трьохрічних курсів для проповідників, які планувалося відкрити у Харкові, включала в себе вивчення української мови. 1928 р. у Харкові відбувся П'ятий всеукраїнський з'їзд баптистів, на якому була прийнята резолюція з мовного питання. Згідно з нею, молоді проповідники повинні були вивчати українську мову, а ті, хто володіє - вже проповідувати нею. Водночас зазначалося, що “по громадах, що на місцях, проповідникам не слід утруднювати один одного з приводу національних питань, але в однодушності проповідувати та співати російською, українською та іншими мовами, хто якою володіє, та в якій є потреба” [О.Нагірняк. До історії наших з’їздів // Євангельська нива. – 1998. – № 1. – С. 46].

На жаль, умови радянського режиму не сприяли як існуванню національного українського союзу баптистів, так і діяльності баптистів в країні в цілому. Вже 1929 р. український союз через репресії припинив своє існування, а через лічені місяці його долю розділив і Федеративний союз баптистів СРСР. Водночас усвідомлення своїх національних коренів навіть в ці часи жило в душах принаймні частини євангельських віруючих в Україні. Так, незважаючи на несприятливі умови радянського періоду, ще у вісімдесяті роки ХХ ст. видатний діяч українського баптистського братства Яків Кузьмович Духонченко почав переговори з одновірцями у канадській діаспорі щодо перекладу Біблії українською мовою. На початку 90-х, ще до проголошення незалежності України, він же виступив одним з ініціаторів створення Українського біблійного товариства, приоритетним завданням якого як раз і став переклад та поширення Святого Письма українською мовою.

Відцентрові процеси, які почались в радянській країні на початку 90-х років минулого століття, національне відродження і утворення з СРСР незалежних держав істотно вплинуло на процеси в Союзі євангельських християн-баптистів. У 1990 р. на 21-му з'їзді євангельських християн-баптистів України, який проходив з 25 по 27 січня, було проголошено створення самостійного Союзу євангельських християн-баптистів України.

Українські баптисти загалом позитивно сприйняли розбудову української державності. Як зазначав Голова Всеукраїнського Союзу Об’єднань ЄХБ Г.І.Комендант: „Ми навчаємо членів наших церков любити Бога та бути свідомими громадянами нашої України. Члени наших церков докладають усіх зусиль для відбудови незалежної держави, для того, щоб Україна посіла гідне місце у світовому співтоваристві вільних держав” [Баптизм в світі й Україні // Релігійна панорама. – 2001. - № 2. – С. 66]. Водночас вітчизняні баптисти доводять свої самобутньо-українські витоки, свою спорідненість національній духовності. Певним чином це відбувається й через намагання українізації богослужіння в церквах ЄХБ. Так, Рада ВСОЄХБ неодноразово підтверджувала курс братства на українізацію усього комплексу релігійного життя баптистських церков: богослужіння, навчання у недільній школі тощо.

Але в значній мірі український баптизм поки що залишається русифікованим, чому сприяє й значне поширення в євангельському середовищі російського синодального перекладу Біблії, переважання друку російськомовної богословської літератури (що є, фактично, частиною загальної проблеми розвитку української книги), російськомовне навчання у більшості українських баптистських навчальних закладів тощо. В певному сенсі це відображає загальну суспільну ситуацію, але водночас є і наслідком як аполітичності євангельських віруючих, так й властивого для них консерватизму. Водночас в євангельському середовищі існує і доволі значна частина національно свідомих віруючих [Див.: В.Матвіїв. Національна свідомість апостола Павла // Волинь християнська. – 2004. - № 4. – С. 4-12]. Разом з тим українським баптистам на сьогодні доводиться відстоювати свою національну самобутність й перед обличчям загрози вестернізації, пов’язаної із величезним обсягом контактів вітчизняних баптистських церков із своїми західними одновірцями. Так, якщо раніше національна самобутність вітчизняних євангельських християн-баптистів проявлялася, зокрема, й у тому, що вони святкували Хрещення, Стрітення, Переображення, то останнім часом значна кількість церков, особливо нових, переходить до святкування практично лише Різдва, Великодня та Трійці, уподібнюючись у цьому закордонним баптистським церквам.

Необхідно зазначити, що минулорічні події Помаранчевої революції викликали значне зростання національної самосвідомості серед українських євангельських віруючих, усвідомлення ними себе саме як громадян України відповідальних за її долю, що мало вплив й на мову богослужінь, духовного співу, проповідування та молитов.

Насамкінець зазначимо, що самоідентифікація вітчизняних баптистів саме як українців і громадян суверенної України певним чином впливає й на перспективи поширення баптизму в Україні, на його місце у релігійній мережі держави. Або як зауважує ще М.С.Грушевський, аналізуючи причини, що стали на перешкоді більш значного поширення євангельського руху в українському суспільстві: „Велике негативне значення мав (та й має) ненаціональний характер євангельського руху... Це московство відривало євангельський рух від українського життя і українського Відродження дуже некорисно” [Грушевський М.С. Духовна Україна. - К., 1994. - С. 124].

Див. додатки:1. Съезд Пленума Совета Всероссийского союза баптистов // Баптист. – 1925. - № 2. – С. 4-5.2. Четвертый всеукраинский съезд баптистов в Харькове // Баптист. – 1925. - № 4-5. – С. 1-5.3. М.Тимошенко. Согласованность работы // Баптист. – 1925. - № 6-7. – С. 25-29.4. К заседанию Совета Всеукраинского союза баптистов // Баптист Украины. – 1926. – № 1. – С. 32-36.5. І.Кмета-Єфимович. До історії з’їздів баптистів України // Баптист Украины. – 1928. - № 5. – С. 40-41.

Юрій Решетніков, к.філос.н.

===

One Bride - 40,000 Denominations

I don't know if Jesus likes the fact that there are so many Christian denominations. He certainly did not create them. They were all created by men. In fact, Jesus probably really wanted to avoid the splintering of his future disciples into so many different groups. There are over 40,000 Christian denominations today! That could not have been the way Jesus wanted his bride to be split up.

If you read his amazing prayer to the Holy Father in John 17, you will notice that Jesus thought that our "complete unity" as followers of Jesus will be an important witness to the world that Jesus was really sent by God. In fact, if you read the passage closely, Jesus seems to already know that there will be many different denominations of his followers in the future. That's why he says, "may they (those believe in the future) be brought to complete unity."

John 17:11,20-23
"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. ... "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

You should really read the whole chapter 17 in John. It is very deep and powerful:

English - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john
Russian - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john;
New Russian - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john;

Apostle Paul also very much wanted to avoid the natural human splitting inside of churches because church members prefer the teaching of one Christian teacher or another. Apostle Paul specifically said, "Do not say I am Paul's or I am

While I think that the rise of many denominations was often a healthy development in history, it is not the ideal that Jesus is looking for. The trouble with us humans is that once we form a particular church or a denomination, over the period of decades and centuries we also form lots and lots of human traditions that have very little or nothing to do with the Bible or Jesus. And if this process is not kept in check by constant reformation and return back to the Bible, these traditions will keep growing and growing until they become more important than the Bible itself. (You can even see this in Baptist churches.) For example, in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the Tradition of the Church is considered just as important as the Bible. They say you cannot consider the Bible without the huge tradition they have built up over many centuries, in fact making human tradition more important than the Word of God. (Which is exactly what Jesus warned against many times!) So, what Martin Luther, Jan Hus, John Calvin, and many others did in the Reformation, was a very healthy development. They tried to bring the Church back to the Bible as a true source of our faith and Jesus as the true Head of the Church, not the Pope.

So, the Reformation was a very positive development. But the trouble with the Reformation is that the people who followed these leaders decided to form their own denominations and these denominations were even called by the names of these leaders. So, you have the Lutheran denominations that started from followers of Luther. (Even though Luther explicitly asked them to reform the existing church instead of starting their own denomination.) You have the Jan Hus denomination that was started by his followers in Bohemia (Czech Republic today). You have an entire Calvinist movement consisting of many denominations (Reformed, Presbyterian, etc.) that was started by John Calvin. So, the reality is that many denominations were started by one single man and are sustained by his name and his teaching. And while the teaching of these leaders may have been much better than the heresies that the Catholic Church offered, it is still not the real thing, which we should seek only in the Bible. The same thing goes for many contemporary charismatic churches that were founded by one man and are sometimes even called by his name. Our Church can only be called the Church of Jesus, not the Church of Luther, the Church of Calvin, or the Church of any other human leader, because the church cannot be anybody's property. It belongs only to Jesus the Messiah.

And Apostle Paul understood this very well:

1 Corinthians 3:3-5 (New International Version)
3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.

The Destiny of Church and Israel is the Same

In John 10:16, Jesus talks about Gentiles:

"16And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."

The important thing to highlight here is this. There is no separate destiny for the Jewish people and a separate destiny for the Church. As Apostle Paul says, we have been grafted into the the tree of the Jewish faith through Abraham and we are "one flock with one shepherd." God doesn't have two wives. His only wife is Israel and we have become a part of it. There will be no separate 1,000 Year Reign for the Jews. It will be both for the faithful Jews and for the faithful Christians. All those who follow the Jewish Messiah Jesus will reign with him on earth when he comes into his Kingdom. Indeed, we are his Kingdom.

Revelation 5:9,10
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."


But, I don't think that "those who came before" were the Pharisees.

8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

Because many Pharisees followed Jesus, invited him into their homes and synagogues, otherwise helped him in his ministry, and then became the first members of Messiah's Church. So, he couldn't have been talking about all Pharisees.

I am pretty sure that Jesus was talking here about the false Messiahs, because he said that while those who came before were false, he is the only true door of salvation.

There have been a number of false "Messiahs" before Jesus and many after Jesus. I don't know the exact number of "Messiahs" before Jesus, but there were at least 50 Jewish leaders after Jesus who have claimed to be the Messiah! There's even a book I saw about all of them:
50 Jewish Messiahs: The Untold Life Stories of 50 Jewish Messiahs Since Jesus and How They Changed the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Worlds
http://www.amazon.com/50-Jewish-Messiahs-Stories-Christian/dp/9652292885/

These may have been good people, but they were all obviously false messiahs, because whether they came before Jesus or after him, none of them fulfill the Messianic prophecies. So, in God's book, they are all liars, in spite of the many good deeds they may have done.

I think Jesus talks about these future self-annointed "Messiahs" when he says in another place that "I have come in the name of the Father and yet you do not accept me, but many will come in their own name and you will accept them".

Even today there is an Orthodox Jewish movement which centers in Brooklyn, New York, that believes that Rabbi Mendel Schneerson (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/schneerson.html) was the Jewish Messiah. He was born in 1902 in Nikolayev, Ukraine and died in 1994 in Brooklyn, NY. He was a very smart and wise man. But he is obviously not the true messiah. The amazing thing for me was that his followers actually believe that he arose from the dead and that his spirit is with them today. And they believe this even though no one has seen him walking the earth after his death. How much more reason we have to believe in Jesus' resurrection, when he was seen by over 500 people walking the earth after his death!

Christian Unity and Denominations

Does Jesus approve of the fact that there are so many Christian denominations, full of his followers who claim theirs is the correct way of following Him? One thing is for sure, Jesus did not create denominations. In fact, he probably really wanted to avoid the splintering of his future disciples into so many different groups. There are over 40,000 Christian denominations today! That could not have been the way Jesus wanted his bride to be split up. If you read his amazing prayer to the Holy Father in John 17, you will notice that Jesus thought that our "complete unity" as followers of Jesus will be an important witness to the world that Jesus was really sent by God. In fact, if you read the passage closely, Jesus seems to already know that there will be many different denominations of his followers in the future. That's why he says, "may they (those believe in the future) be brought to complete unity."

John 17:11,20-23
"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. ... "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

You should really read the whole chapter 17 in John. It is very deep and powerful:

English - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2017&version=31
Russian - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2017;&version=13;
New Russian - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2017;&version=39;

Apostle Paul also very much wanted to avoid the natural human splitting inside of churches because church members prefer the teaching of one Christian teacher or another. Apostle Paul specifically said, "Do not say I am Paul's or I am

While I think that the rise of many denominations was often a healthy development in history, it is not the ideal that Jesus is looking for. The trouble with us humans is that once we form a particular church or a denomination, over the period of decades and centuries we also form lots and lots of human traditions that have very little or nothing to do with the Bible or Jesus. And if this process is not kept in check by constant reformation and return back to the Bible, these traditions will keep growing and growing until they become more important than the Bible itself. (You can even see this in Baptist churches.) For example, in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the Tradition of the Church is considered just as important as the Bible. They say you cannot consider the Bible without the huge tradition they have built up over many centuries, in fact making human tradition more important than the Word of God. (Which is exactly what Jesus warned against many times!) So, what Martin Luther, Jan Hus, John Calvin, and many others did in the Reformation, was a very healthy development. They tried to bring the Church back to the Bible as a true source of our faith and Jesus as the true Head of the Church, not the Pope.

So, the Reformation was a very positive development. But the trouble with the Reformation is that the people who followed these leaders decided to form their own denominations and these denominations were even called by the names of these leaders. So, you have the Lutheran denominations that started from followers of Luther. (Even though Luther explicitly asked them to reform the existing church instead of starting their own denomination.) You have the Jan Hus denomination that was started by his followers in Bohemia (Czech Republic today). You have an entire Calvinist movement consisting of many denominations (Reformed, Presbyterian, etc.) that was started by John Calvin. So, the reality is that many denominations were started by one single man and are sustained by his name and his teaching. And while the teaching of these leaders may have been much better than the heresies that the Catholic Church offered, it is still not the real thing, which we should seek only in the Bible. The same thing goes for many contemporary charismatic churches that were founded by one man and are sometimes even called by his name. Our Church can only be called the Church of Jesus, not the Church of Luther, the Church of Calvin, or the Church of any other human leader, because the church cannot be anybody's property. It belongs only to Jesus the Messiah.

Любовь Против Гомосексуализма

An important new project has been started to counter the homosexual propaganda in the former Soviet Union Republics:

Любовь Против Гомосексуализма
http://love-contra.org/

Over 120 million Christians in China

The latest "Word From Jerusalem" newsletter of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (icej.org) mentions an interesting fact about China:

"After decades declaring Christianity dead in China, the government now admits that the church is more than 120 million people strong. ... Mainland China had just under a million Christians when the communist regime of Mao Tse-tung took over in 1948. The political leaders declared Christianity as an imperialist relic which would soon disappear from the country. However the communist regime had to learn that nothing can stop the work of the Holy Spirit. Just recently the government of China had to make an official declaration confessing that today there are more than 120 million Christians in China. 'Christian leaders in China believe that the actual number is even higher,' says Collin Chow, director of the ICEJ branch in Hong Kong.

China may very well become a Christian nation within our lifetimes. And this has huge consequences for the world.

A great resource for more on this topic is David Aikman's book, "Jesus in Bejing": http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Beijing-Christianity-Changing-Balance/dp/0895261286

Church, State and History

This is an interesting article from Washington Post about the effort by the Russian Orthodox Church to condemn communist crimes. The effort definitely doesn't go far enough, but it is an encouraging beginning.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302906.html

WASHINGTON POST
Church, State and History
By Masha Lipman
Thursday, July 24, 2008; Page A19

MOSCOW -- The Russian Orthodox Church called on government authorities this month to condemn the Soviet communist regime. It's odd that the church should think about this now: It's been two decades since Mikhail Gorbachev initiated an avalanche of public disclosures about the horrors of the gulag and the masterminds of the bloody communist dictatorship -- Lenin, Stalin, their accomplices and their followers.

That national journey into history was followed by the collapse of communism and then the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia's first president, Boris Yeltsin, evolved as a passionate anti-communist and banished the rule of fear and repression that had plagued the nation for seven decades. In the following years, the government and public organizations sought to restore the historical record.

But Russia's next president, Vladimir Putin, distanced himself from his predecessor's outlook. During his presidency, anti-communism was strongly played down. Some communist symbols, including Stalin's national anthem, were brought back, and references to Stalin's crimes all but disappeared from official discourse. Government rhetoric promoting Russia as a strong state and warning of a hostile Western world seeking to harm the country boosted admiration for Stalin, which never quite died out during the post-communist years, and a general nostalgia for Soviet times.

The church's anti-communist initiative may serve the interests of the Russian leadership, which appears to look for ways to denounce communism while avoiding raising questions about today's regime and its association with the communist past.

The interest in a denunciation of communism may have to do with appeals by former Soviet states for an international condemnation of the massacres and other crimes committed on their territories by the Soviet regime. Ukraine, for instance, seeks to hold Russia responsible for the mass famine of its peasants during Stalin's collectivization. Russian officials may be enraged, but they're not in a position to say the death toll estimate is false, not least since Russian peasants fell victim to the same villainy. So the trick for Russia would be to admit crimes but not to take the blame for them, lest Ukraine or other nations seek compensation.

The church, the state's traditional ally, is an appropriate candidate for this mission. Because of its notorious collaboration with the Soviet regime, it has its own reason not to go too deep in denouncing communism. In several statements over the past couple of weeks, a church spokesman urged the government, in very general terms, to honor the memory of victims; to change the names of cities and streets associated with prominent communist figures of the past; to remove "statues of bloody leaders from central squares"; and more. This "de-communization lite" made no mention of Stalin or other perpetrators of the Great Terror, or of the monstrous state security forces that tortured and executed millions on the orders of the Communist Party.

The church's call for de-communization helps the state further marginalize the public effort led by Memorial, the Russian human rights group that, since the late 1980s, has researched and published information on communist crimes. Unlike the Russian Orthodox Church, Memorial wouldn't keep denunciations of communism within "reasonable limits." Little wonder that the church's anti-communist campaign conveys the impression that the church is the only organization concerned with confronting communist horrors.

Putin's Kremlin consistently sought to sideline organizations that wouldn't compromise their autonomy and that pursued agendas that did not conform with the official line. Lately, Memorial may have raised more concerns: As Memorial's board chairman, Arseny Roginsky, told me, public support for his organization has increased. Backing anti-Stalin initiatives, he explains, may be seen as a mild form of opposition by people who regard overt political activity as risky and pointless. For example, construction of a national memorial to gulag victims is again the subject of public discussion. Gorbachev and other prominent public figures are taking an active role. And Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper that Gorbachev co-owns, has published a series this year devoted to the victims of and participants in the Great Terror.

Interest in the dark side of Soviet history is modest now compared with the nationwide yearning in the late 1980s for the truth about the Soviet regime's crimes. But it may be enough to make the Kremlin want to preempt or control such interest. If its plan is indeed to enlist the church in a mild anti-communist campaign while marginalizing Memorial, the government has abundant power and resources to do so. Of course, even a limited condemnation of Soviet communism is better than nothing, but these political half-measures cannot supersede a national effort to come to terms with Russia's history.
===
Masha Lipman, editor of the Carnegie Moscow Center's Pro et Contra journal, writes a monthly column for The Post.

How Do We Imagine God?

Каким мы представляем Бога?
автор Александр Калашник

Александр Мень, в своей лекции о христианстве, выразил очень интересную мысль. Иисус почти никогда не называл Бога Богом. (Эту лекцию можно прочитать здесь: http://www.lib.ru/HRISTIAN/mennhr.txt )

Меня это очень удивило, ведь это действительно правда, а мы её не замечаем. Иисус очень редко называл его Богом. Чаще он его называл Отцом или просто Папой. И в этом заложена важнейшая истина.

Очень часто люди думают что Бог есть такой каким был их земной отец:

- Если их отец был злым человеком, то они думают что Бог злой, грозный и свирепый.

- Если отец без причины раздражался на них, значит и Бог такой же капризный и непредсказуемый.

- Если у их отца не было времени для них, то они часто думают что у Бога тоже нет времени для них.

- Если отцу было трудно или невозможно угодить, значит и Богу трудно или невозможно угодить.

- Если отец несправедливо наказывал, заставлял свою семью страдать, или раздражал и удручал детей без причины, то значит и Бог нам посылает всякие несправедливые страдания, что-бы просто поиздеваться над нами.

- А если уж отец ушел или его никогда не было в семье, то значит и Бог нас оставил или его вообще просто нет. (Американский психолог Paul C. Vitz написал об этом феномене интереснейшую книгу, Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism, в которой он изучает отношения великих атеистов с ихними отцами, и находит именно эту закономерность. http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Fatherless-Psychology-Paul-Vitz/dp/1890626252/)

- Ну, и так далее и тому подобное. Все мы знаем какими грешными и несовершенными могут быть все земные люди, в том числе и отцы.

Все эти наши мифы и неправильные стереотипы в нашем мышлении играют очень разрушительную или, по крайней мере, тормозящюю роль в нашей жизни. По меньшей мере, очень часто наше неправильное мышление предотвращает создание теплых, близких, глубоких и плодотворных отношений с нашим Небесным Отцом.

Всем нам жизненно важно изменить те неправильные образы Бога которые мы создали в своем понимании, те искаженные иконы Бога застрявшие в нашем разуме. Ясный луч света правды Божьей должен пробитсья сквозь туман неправды.

А правда ведь в том, что Бог есть человеколюбивый Бог. Есть люди которые очень любят животных или детей, и всячески о них заботятся, ласкают и лелеют. Вот так же и Бог смотрит на нас, думает о нас, и относится к нам. Наш Небесный Отец очень добрый. Иногда встречаются христиане, да и просто люди, которые являются особенно добрыми и отзывчивыми людьми. Эти люди научились в какой-то степени отображать нашего Папочку, но он несомненно намного добрее и сострадательнее. Наш Папа нас иногда наказывает, но он не делает этого просто так, что-бы поиздеваться над нами. Нет, он это делает только в тех случаях когда это единственный способ достучаться до нас, для нашего же добра и процветания. Наш Отец, как всякий добрый отец, позволяет нам переносить последствия наших действий в то время пока и наши действия и последствия не являются особенно большими, что-бы потом, имея власть в Царстве Божьем, мы не наделали огромных ошибок. (Откр. 5:10)

Наш Папа не дает нам какие-то правила и законы просто потому что ему так нравиться, что-то приказывать, придираться и указывать нам как жить. Опять таки, он нам рассказывает принципы по которым он сотворил нас и всю вселенную, для нашего же понимания и пользы. Если мы будем следовать этим принцыпам, то мы сможем прожить самую эффективную, плодотворную, красивую и счастливую жизнь. И не только самим так прожить, а и другим помочь стать на такую же твердую почву в жизни. Ведь не зря на иврите, слово Тора, не означает Закон, как многие думают. Правильный перевод этого слова, это - Учение. То есть, наш Папа просто-напросто учит нас как лучше всего прожить нашу жизнь. Он всегда близок к нам, и готов слушать, отвечать и награждать тех кто Его ищет. Бог есть любовь. А любовь, как известно, все прощает, все покрывает, всему верит, все переносит, и любит до последнего. Любовь невозможно остановить. Даже когда все пройдет и история закончиться, любовь все-равно будет жить.

С одной стороны, это все говорит о той огромной ответственности, которая лежит на земных отцах, в том что-бы построить правильные отношения со своими детьми. Но дети пережившие несправедливое или жестокое отношение со стороны своих отцов, не могут изменить свое прошлое. Но, в то же самое время, они могут изменить свое будущее, путем изменения своего внутреннего образа нашего Небесного Отца. А правильный образ прийдет от близкого изучения слов данных нам нашим Отцом. Это очень важная истина, которую всем нам просто необходимо воплотить для того что-бы жить полноценной христианской жизнью.

И если мы действительно хотим следовать за Иисусом и становиться таким как он, то нам нужно как можно чаще называть Бога не отдаленным Богом, а Небесным Отцом или Папой.

From Ukraine with Love - CHURCH SHIFT!

Pastor Sunday is a Nigerian pastor of the largest evangelical church in Europe, the Embassy of God, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (50,000 members - 99.9% white European)
His new book in English is "Church Shift" - a message of National Transformation to the American Church:

http://www.churchshift.org/index.php?page=29
http://www.churchshift.org/index.php?page=president-s-perspective

The author shows how Jesus spoke very little about the church and 90% about the kingdom. It's an eye opener to see how many churches only focus on "building their church", when in fact ministries that God is empowering are focused on the The Kingdom of God. He states that CHURCH is our headquearters but that battles are not fought in headquartes, but on the field... the world is the field.

Church Shift shows how Christians should be involved in 7 Spheres of Influence in Society:

1. Social/Spiritual - charity and evangelism
2. Politics - running for public office and participating in local and national politics
3. Education - transforming minds through knowledge and education
4. Media - influencing society through the media
5. Arts and Entertainment - members of the church include leading musicians and film directors in Ukraine
6. Sports - members of Embassy of God have won places on the Ukrainian Olympic Team
7. Finance and Business - encouraging entrepreneurship and raising 'millionaires for Christ' who finance the Kingdom

More here:
http://www.churchshift.org/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1599790971

Church page:
http://www.godembassy.org/

gay Orthodox heresy

Homosexual activists are attempting to change the theology of the Russian Orthodox Church to make it accept active homosexuals. See more in the video. (in Russian)

Gay Orthodox "church" in Moscow in the Russian news:

Kateryna Yushchenko calls for abolition of church tax - 19 Jun 2008

ENI
19Jun2008
Wife of Ukrainian president calls for abolition of tax on churches


Kiev -- Ukraine's first lady, Kateryna Yushchenko, has said church charities should not have to pay tax, and she urged that the law be changed.
[ . . ]

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

Baptists and religious freedom

Have you ever wondered why the United States has more religious freedom than Europe and why Ukraine has more religious freedom than the rest of the former Soviet Union? I will bet you never thought it had something to do with Baptists.

Baptists started in Germany as a movement of Ana-Baptists, which means re-Baptizers, since they were re-baptizing both Catholics and Lutherans in Germany as adults and by full immersion, as it is in the Bible.

Baptists were persecuted in Germany, so they spread to Britain and Ukraine. (I am not sure if more went to one or the other.) They weren't very well accepted in Britain either, so some of them moved on to America, where they grew through evangelism, especially during the Second Great Awakening in US.

During the Russian Empire years, ethnic Germans were allowed to be Baptists, but ethnic Ukrainians were not and were persecuted by both the Orthodox Church and the Tsarist governments. As a result, many Ukrainian Baptist leaders were sent into exile into Kuban and Northern Caucases (which was the Russian Empire's "Siberia" at the time) and began evangelizing there. That's how Baptism got started in Russia. And that's why Southern Russia is still the area with the biggest number and concentration of Baptists in the Russian Federation.

Many Ukrainian Baptists were ethnic Germans who were evacuated out of Southern Ukraine to Kazakhstan during WWII by the Soviet government, but by then Baptism had long before caught on among ethnic Ukrainians. (From Kazakhstan most of the German Baptists went on back to Germany after the Soviet Empire fell apart, after spreading their faith among the Kazakhs as well.)

Today, Ukraine is second only to the United States by the number of Baptists inside of its borders! Great Britain is number three. (It used to be number two, but there was a switch sometime in the 1990s because of growth in Ukraine.)

Much like American Baptists in US, Ukrainian Baptists are the most vocal group in support of religious freedom in Ukraine. The Reason for that is that the Baptist history from the very beginning was filled with persecution by both the governments and the official churches. So, the thirst for religious freedom was encoded in the DNA of the Baptist movement from the very beginning.

In United States, especially, we can point to a specific point at which young America's Baptists influenced it in the direction of religious freedom. Religious freedom is considered the unique contribution of United States to the world. It never really existed anywhere before. The Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom was the first democratically passed legal document on the face of the earth to legally guarantee full religious freedom, and it was written by Jefferson and Madison (mostly Jefferson) and passed with the help of the Virginia Baptists. (Jefferson considered it one of his three great achievements in life to be put on his grave. It is on his grave to this day - I saw it! :) You can read it here: http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/sacred/vaact.html (Note the religious basis of it - it is based on the premise that God created the mind free.)

Other states then simply ended up copying it and it was later copied by the Federal Government. So that's how we ended up with religious freedom in the entire United States.

In Kazakhstan today, there are attempts by the government to drastically limit religious freedom, and Kazakhstan's Baptists are praying and working hard to stop these encroachments and preserve some measure of religious freedom in their nation.

Viktor Pavlik and others

Viktor Pavlik, a fairly well-known Ukrainian pop-singer is a Christian and sings at least one Christian song at every one of his concerts. This is a song from one of these concerts:


This is him singing a Ukrainian Christmas carol:


This is a bunch of top Ukrainian singers doing another Christmas carol:

Gay Activists vs. Chrisians in Ukraine

These are reports of the Embassy of God church parade against gay activist parades in Ukraine.
It's interesting that even the Ukrainian journalists are buying into the gay propaganda - calling Christians "homophobes" for example.

See for yourself:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=upQHXpQck7s
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RBttAhoeuZQ

Christian Miss Ukraine 2007

Miss Ukraine 2007 was a committed Christian girl, Lika Roman, from Zakarpattia. In these videos she publicly shares her faith and her philosophy of life:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=T8pyi4hItLs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q1yZrc-PCWE