by Pastor Jerry Theckston
I have been traveling to Russia since 1990, which was just a year before the fall of Communism there! God has done many spectacular things over the years, especially among the young saints! But it hasn’t been an easy road. In many ways it has become even more difficult since the full-scale Russian invasion into Ukraine in February of 2022!
It seems like almost everyone in either Country has family and loved ones on the other side! From the Western side of things, it is important for us not to forget the beautiful saints of God who have surrendered their whole lives to our Savior and passionately serve Him every day! God has not forgotten them! His Spirit is pouring out a fresh anointing over the Church in Russia that has come with life changing power!
I hope you can appreciate the excitement, challenge and love that our Spirit-filled brothers and sisters in Russia are experiencing, even in these most difficult times! Below is a letter from my dear friend Lyuba, who continues to chronicle the amazing work of God’s Spirit there:
Shalom, Dear Jerry, I was very glad to see a message from you!! I confess to you that I have been thinking about you every day for more than a week. I prayed before going to bed yesterday and the Lord reminded me again that we have not communicated with you for a long time. And at night I had a dream where you were. Jerry, thank you so much for writing! I was a little worried the connection between us.
The Lord is merciful! Now our situation has improved. Thank you for asking! Our boys are fine, studying. They are very good, they are friends with each other, sometimes they bump heads, but it's natural for their age. Timofey trains Ilya in patience, and Ilya trains his brother in patience.😁 The Lord, by His grace, gives us revelations through the word of God about unconditional Love to our children. And He also suggested that we take a couple of books to help us better be able to regulate such issues in parenting. So we are interested every day))
To be honest, September and October were emotionally difficult for us. We were experiencing intense pressure and enemy attacks. The strength of our family relationship was under attack. We have not encountered this before. We passed a very important exam, which tested our principles of faith, which have developed over all the years of walking with God. And also our fidelity to the marriage covenant. At the moment, there is no reason to worry, the most difficult thing is over. Now we understand exactly the goals that were set for us. And our Loving God, in His love and jealousy, shook those false beliefs that were disguised.
Dear Pastor, let me say some more thoughts. We feel how important and relevant it is now for every person in the Body of Christ to have an account of their hope. To check the purity of your heart. And also to see if there is growth, is there spiritual maturation? Because many who should have been teachers themselves are still feeding on milk (Heb 5:12-14)... This is the time when those who have been following God for a long time are being tested, the motives of the heart and the motives of following Christ. We see it everywhere here.. Apparently, the Lord is preparing us all for more serious times than now.. The Lord protects us, although the state news can be very sad.. We continue to pray for peace with our fellow human beings..
Today is exactly 3 months since the Lord gave birth to His new church. We continue to hold meetings every Sunday. Everything is going well because the Lord is leading this ministry. We fully trust Him and the Holy Spirit gives us the word to preach, and also gives us an understanding of where to move, what to grow in. There are still a few of us, but our doors are open always. And we receive a certificate from the Holy Spirit that this is a key time for us to gain strength and strengthen in a new position. The Lord turns unnecessary branches (John 15:1-6) and gives grace to enjoy every meeting on the day of service. The Lord, by His mercy, protects us from control, fuss and unnecessary worries. We feel with all our hearts that the church is His child, which He brings up according to His appointed time. We are extremely careful not to do anything on our own. Therefore, we learn to listen and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit even more clearly and clearly.
Our friends are also strengthened by God. The Holy Spirit fills the hearts more and more! The Lord has prepared our friends (Sasha and Slava) to be jealous of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of speaking in other languages. This is so exciting, because in the "father's" church, as you remember, this topic was questionable. But the Lord has done a great job to cleanse our hearts from the effects of the leaven of the spirit of religion. Here we are not talking about condemnation, but about the will of God that we be unleavened for Christ and for the New Wine! (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
In general, dear Pastor, everything is going according to the season in which the Lord leads us. This is a time in which we feel more united with the Lord than ever before. And this is just the beginning of something very deep and real, we still have a lot to learn. But we are all very grateful and happy to be with Jesus!
Our friends Maxim and Marietta are also doing well. The Lord is working in their family and relationships, and we see evidence of how the atmosphere in their family has changed to a new Life! It's amazing!! God is good and Allmighty! 🔥💓
We all think about you a lot. Friends also asked how are you doing? When you have time, please write, how are you? How is your life in a new place and region, in a new church? Is everything okay with Sue? and Jerry, if you have any thoughts about what I wrote in my messages, I will be very grateful to hear it from you! and also share it with Vova. We all bless you and your house, your church! God bless you all! In Jesus, lyuba.
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