In the Uk, the man who was deemed to be the voice of the prime minister / uk government, has been sacked after a series of episodes whereby he was either accused of lying, or at best bending the truth to suit his own purposes and influence.
Whether you believe these figures of authority to be telling you the truth or lies, what we can all unite on at this time, is the udoubted truth that when authority figures speak in our world, what they say ... will not necessarily be believed. There is great suspicion of those who claim to speak with authority.Jesus Christ said,
"I am THE way,
THE TRUTH, and THE life."
In a world of confusion and fact checking, what we put our trust in is so critical. There are some things that are vital for us not to be wrong about. It is so important who we chose to listen to. Being right about what was inside Dominic Cumming's cardboard box, (or why Rudy's hair die is not meltproof) is not as important as issues of life or death. Eternal destiny though, is too critical a thing to be wrong about.
Do you know for certain, what will happen when you die? Do you know what Jesus Christ said about himself, or who will be in heaven? Do you have a view of your world (and the one to come) which is formed by your imagination, twitter, heresay, human ingenuity or what God has said in History?
THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.
As a network there are several strands to what we do. Our central desire and prayer is that in all things, we will be known for our love for people. (John 13:35).
2 USP's that hit me about what Jesus Christ says.
1) It is always TRUE (whether we want to hear it or not), and
2) It is always spoken in LOVE, a love which speaks loudest and most eloquently at the cross, where he "loved us and gave himself for us." (Gal 2:20).
As Christians we must therefore also follow this pattern and "speak the truth in love". (Eph 4:15). In a world crying out for both love and truth, our hope is that through our partnerships, hard work and intregety, our world will be impacted in good ways, through love and truth.
MEET: IVAN KUNDERENKO
Ivan heads up the Ukrainian Centre for Apologetics. His ministry is both for the network of Baptist Union of Evangelical Churches, and interdenomonational. His gift and approach is appreciated equally by the lay person in the rural setting and the post graduate in urban seminary.
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| Speaking to a group of Pastors in Vinnitsa (Warm truth on a cold day) |
His work is a vital one, supporting churches, church leaders and organisations by helping people understand TRUTH in our context.
Ukraine lives in an environment of historical freedom. There is much to thank God for. It is good that Ukraine is a "free society", free to debate and explore truth, compare worldviews and approaches to life. However, of course with this there is also danger. People are also free to listen to all sorts of voices, sometimes without a framework for discernment and evaluation. Not all who speak are worth listening to. Just because someone speaks confidently, does not mean they speak the truth. (1 Tim 1:7). Some who pretend to carry the tag of "Christianty", are nothing more than human voices, advertising themselves. When the doors opened to Christianity in Ukraine, they also opened wide to cults and those who abuse positions of influence. Self promotion, money grabbing, people using, lies enchanting speakers are a growing concern. It is an act of love to point out early who is not worthy of our ear and why.
We are partnerning with IVAN and praying that the partnership will continue to grow as profitably as it has already. We are entering this next phase of supporting pastors, gospel workers, church planters and regional strategies for church growth. In many ways our work together is "one", united, in heart and purpose, complimentary by design. We are already excited about what God is doing.
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| Enjoying each others' company on a much warmer day in Oxford. |
We value so much about Ivan and his life's ministry. On a personal level I praise God for Him so much....for keeping our brother focussed on this huge and weighty task over recent years, for his brilliant multilingual interpretation skills in training and communication of biblical truth. His freindship is very precious to me, and we have so much in common. Ivan loves to serve and support the church. He loves the word of God. He loves Jesus first and foremost. I love spending time with Ivan, talking about all sorts ... music (authentic interpretations of Chopin nocturns and preludes), art, history, culture, communication, sociology, etc etc. It is true that those who spend time with the living God... love life. The creator has multidimensional interests, and so do those who think His thoughts after Him.
We commend our friend to your support and prayers. DAY 22
Please pray for Ivan during this coronavirus time. Without the ability to travel / to go and teach personally (except rare instituational gatherings), he is doing what he can via electronic communication. Pray that the relational element of what he does will not be lost, but rather God will continue to use our brother to build up people in the faith, and the church in love and truth.
Pray for Ivans' family, His wife Tanya and two boys (men)
Some of you will know that there is an ongoing medical issue for Ivans' son (Dan), who had major surgery (pins and plates fitted) on his back. Although surgery was initially successful, the first few trips to school (on the bus over bad roads) were not, and dislodged / affected some of the repair sugery. Please continue to pray for the ongoing treatment, in both success and cost.
Do pray for the ongoing needs to support Ivans' ministry. At this time of travel restriction, there is reduced income from speaking, just at the time Ivan lost his "tentmaking" income. There is some translation work, but something significant is really needed if we are to plan with security for this ministry. Pray that our brother will be able to maintain steady focus on this task God has called him to.
If you would like to support this vital ministry, we can help you do so. Please do, get in touch.
Pray for the national church in Ukraine, that there will growing discernment to recognise false teaching, heresy and danger.
Pray for the ongoing work of Ivan and our network team in apologetics. Pray that we will be helpful in equipping many to see this world through the lens of God's truth, read our culture well (1 Chron 12:32) and declare the surpassing glory of Christ against the backdrop of many failing idols (Acts 19:26) in our generation. Pray that we will be ready and equipped to give a reason for the hope that we have.
Praying with you,
In love and appreciation,
BLOGSKI
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