War and Russia's destiny

It was just a conversation with Pastor Igor during our weekly coaching session, but it seemed so packed full of juicy food for thought that I feel compelled to post a synopsis of it.

We started out talking about the war with Georgia, as I was interested in his input on what is going on from the perspective of a Russian and a pastor. He gave me some history, most of which I had gotten by now, explaining that South Ossetia had achieved and maintained a de facto independence since a conflict in the early 1990s. Although they are technically part of Georgia, they use the Russian ruble and Russian passports yet claim independence despite the fact that no one, including Russia, has recognized their sovereignty. Abkhazia is in almost exactly the same boat, and now they are formally asking to be recognized.

What concerns Igor is black and white thinking that paints Russia unilaterally as the aggressor and ends up distancing them from relationship with the West. The danger here is seen in the recent visit from the President of Syria, who compared what is going on in Ossetia with their relationship with Israel. So what kind of bedfellows could this produce if we let things get worse between the West and Russia?

Igor admitted that biblically we know that things will get worse before they get better, so we can expect more wars and collaborations between countries that share only evil as their goal. Is Russia a part of that end-time scenario? It would appear that Russia does figure into biblical prophecy (certainly more than America does), though Igor does not spend much time trying to figure it out. He got a little turned off by all the Christians who used to call the USSR the Anti-Christ. "The Kingdom is not defined by geography or politics. Jesus said, 'the Kingdom of God is within you' (Lk. 17:21). So why shouldn't the Anti-Christ be more about the fact that there will be people all over the world who are given over to the agenda of the Enemy?" He cited examples of leaders in the US who had prophesied things about the USSR in this connection that never came to pass.

We continued the topic of prophecy as I asked what he thought about Rick Joyner's prophesies about the coming harvest and Russia's destiny. I myself had heard about him and his ministry for years but had never read a word of his until Tobias gave me some things to read. His book, the Harvest, is an exciting read, and even if it is not true, it rings true in the sense that the principles behind what would be involved as events unfold are all totally biblical. Igor was once again cool towards Joyner, mostly because he became a sensation over here some years back, and people got so into everything he wrote that Igor knew it was a distraction.

Igor did have one prophecy about Russia he mentioned to me that excited his imagination: that of Hudson Taylor. You will be reacting the same way as I at this point:

1. Hudson Taylor - on Russia? He was in China!
2. Hudson Taylor - a prophet? Wasn't he a pretty standard B flat evangelical?

These very things, plus the fact that Hudson Taylor's life was one of such fruit and irreproachable integrity that Igor gives it such credence. Here is how it happened: Taylor was on furlough in England late in life (1855 or 1889), speaking at a church. Suddenly he stopped preaching as though considering something. He started again and stopped again for some time. He then announced:

“I have seen a vision. I saw in this vision a great war that will encompass the whole world. I saw this war recess and then start again, actually being two wars. After this, I saw much unrest and revolts that will affect many nations. I saw in some places spiritual awakenings. In Russia, I saw there will come a general all-encompassing, national SPIRITUAL AWAKENING so great that there could never be another like it. From Russia, I saw the awakening spread to many European countries. Then I saw an all-out awakening, followed by the Coming of Christ."

God had showed him this vision as he was speaking, and though he doubted it the first time, God showed it again, and he felt compelled to speak it.
I was astounded. I had had no knowledge of this word. How can we not take it seriously given:

1. its source, a man of universal repute
2. its subject, so obviously a prediction of both world wars and the various national conflicts since then
3. its focus on Russia, obviously the point of the whole prophesy. That is, the prophecy about the wars is only meant to confirm the validity of the word about Russia.

Igor went on to point out that St. Petersburg also has a prophetic destiny. Even when people come together for worldly reasons to start a community, God is always there with His purposes, and Peter the Great's commission for the city was that it be a "window to Europe." While men may interpret this in any number of ways, Igor wants the Church to view it through spiritual eyes so that it can lay a hold of God's destiny for it. Obviously from this point of view, St. Petersburg is meant to have a role in bringing the best of what God has from spiritually from Europe (and the States) to bear on Russia. And, given Taylor's prophecy, St. Petersburg may be the window that brings the revival to Europe.

And so Igor elaborated by explaining how St. Petersburg is really set apart and isolated from the rest of Russia. All of Russia's churches look to Moscow for leadership, but St. Petersburg is an island to itself. This is rooted in pride. Alexander Pushkin, Russia's voice of their soul, put it:
"I lifted up my head in pride, above Alexander's column." This monument in Palace square here, as you can see from the picture, has an angel with a cross at the top. In other words, Petersburgers have a particular bent towards elevating self above God, more than Russians in general.

I commented, "Then the solution will have to be a form of humiliation that God uses to humble them before they can move into His destiny." Igor agreed, adding that it has already happened to some extent, though it will likely require more. I thought he was referencing the blockade during WW2 which had killed so many. No, he meant the fact that during the 1990's the city had gained a reputation nation-wide as Russia's criminal capital, with many highly visible and terrible murders taking place regularly. This was a disgrace to the residents, but Igor saw it as an attempt by the Enemy to thwart their calling, so he and many others prayed very mightily against it, and God answered. Now the city is relatively peaceful.

Wow. I feel like God may be showing me a part of the big picture as to why I am here. I have often wondered why I would be in such a spiritually difficult place, because I want to be where God's action it. So now I have a sort of visionary pick-me-up!

My son, the Lego theologian

Just when you think your kids aren't thinking about anything loftier than turning a bunk bed into a fort, they come up with the most amazing thoughts on life. Take Kerith. He's a child of tremendous intellect, but also tremendous range of emotion (blessedly, usually joyful). So he loves to figure things out, take them apart, and understand how they work. But he also is our sensitive one, who can get very concerned and upset over the pain he sees in others. He can't stand to pass a beggar by without asking for money to give them, which he does with a blessing.

He's also becoming quite the prayer, waxing eloquent at bedtime about the virtues of God and the plight of mankind. His prayers can be some profound reflections on life and eternity. Simon once patiently waited him out for several minutes and at the conclusion lamented, "Kerith, you pray so long, and I need to go to bed!" - the only time I've ever heard him insist on the need to sleep.

So out of nowhere the other day, he comes up to me at the computer and shows me this object he had made from Legos:

He then proceeded to tell me it's symbolic meaning, which I managed to capture on film:

Sure it's a bit down on life at times, but what I appreciate about Kerith is his well-developed sense of human fallenness. God has time to work on the rest with him.

P.S. I've gotten my first concerned comment, the effect that Kerith may be "upset and troubled." So here is my response: As I think about what may motivate this kind of concern, it seems to me that had he talked about life being all peaches and cream, God is good, we are so blessed, and the like, then everyone would praise him for his great attitude and outlook on life. What I would see in such a philosophy would be an unbalanced Pollyanna worldview that is clueless about the extent to which sin and the Enemy have invaded this world.

Is life "terrible" as Kerith says? Of course not, at least not overall, because we have a Saviour who is victorious over sin and death. Apart from that, however, life is terrible. And coming to a country like this, you can't help see it much more obviously than you can in the States. We've lost count of all the drunk folk we've seen sprawled out and bleeding on the streets. We have one who lives close to us. And many countries are much better exhibits of the devil's handiwork. So Kerith is adjusting to that reality. Moreover, Kerith is in a phase right now where he is keenly aware of his own sinfulness and his inability to overcome his weaknesses alone. This perspective clearly influenced what he said in the video, and this I applaud. Did he not, however, show a clear understanding that God is the only one who can get us to the "top"? That's grace.

Maybe another kid who said this could be troubled, given different circumstances. Their grandmother came to visit this month, and her assessment of the kids was this: "I've been very relieved and blessed to see them thriving so well. The adjustment and their language acquisition that they have made has been phenomenal. I believe they are happy and content."

'Nuff said.

2 cents' worth on the war in Georgia

The extent of my contribution to the discussion on the conflict between Georgia and Russia is limited since it's so far away. I'll start with an excerpt from an email from our friend David (whom we visited in April) who is from Tbilisi and was there recently. I appreciate the balance.

So much for trying to come to Russia this august :) who would have imagined we would be fighting by now?... Even though I do blame our Government for getting us into this mess, Russia has still overstepped big time and their soldiers is behaving as barbarians - who they are by nature anyway.... Have leveled many towns and villages to ground, blew up all airports, roads, bridges, factories, set national parks on fire, sunk ships, destroyed ports....100,000 people displaced from homes...put us back in the 90s for sure...4000 people have died on our part in just one week... And due to the weapons used, families cannot make out their own perished relatives.... It is a very sad situation.

US and European support has been surprisingly strong for us and hopefully will force Russians to start withdrawing soon. But the scars are there for good this time and will take a long time too heel.... Also the propaganda on Russian TV has infected the russian population as well this time which has for the first time created tention not only on the political but also on the civilian level...

My addendum to the propaganda question: Although you hear the opinion here that this war has been no good for either side, the main thrust in the media is supporting the poor refugees from South Ossetia. The secondary theme seems to be how the American press is so down on Russia now.

For example, I have an article entitled "Ossetian girl outflanks the Sharks of the Airwaves: American Propaganda brings more confusion" from a paper about a Fox News piece ("one of the most aggressively inclined news channels in the US towards Russia") about an interview with Amanda Kokoeva and her aunt. You can judge for yourself the slant from the video. The video has become a lightning rod for discussions about truth in media. YouTube apparently reset its counters after viewing got close to 300,000 times.

The Russian article ends with a blatant lie, stating that Shepard Smith ends the program stating, "That's the kind of thing Russians do," when his actual comment was, "There are gray areas in war." I can't see how that could be an interpretation error.

The image on the right is from the major paper Arguments and Facts and reads, "Why America raised Saakashvili." It is now common opinion, started by Putin himself, that this all originated in the U.S. to get McCain elected.

Brushing up against a dream

Our eyes got bigger and bigger as Tobias and Katarina, the missionary couple with whom we spent our time in Germany, told us about the ministry that provided their covering while in St. Petersburg. Because of our interest, and because of their relationship with the Harbor (now without a contact person in the wake of Tobias' and Katarina's departure from St. Petersburg), they agreed to meet us and show us their operation.

In English they are known as the Reichenburg Foundation. Started in the late 60's (like every good community!), this one grew and prospered until it had over 100 members who dedicate themselves to each other and to the ministries that the community supports and promotes. No, they don't live together, but they all live in one town, Reichelshiem, population 6000. The community owns all the property, including the houses, a large guest and conference center, a medieval farmhouse (see picture), and their crown, the town castle, dating back to the 13th century. Members serve in one or more of the various ministries of the community in exchange for free housing and minimal living expenses.

Among their ministries:

• conferences and training on issues related to strengthening and preserving the family
• Jewish/German reconciliation
• Youth outreach and evangelism - cutting edge methods I'd never heard of
• youth work projects the bring together Christian youth worldwide each summer to serve in various places around the world and simultaneously build community
  
• Legal advocacy about family-related issues
• publishing journals on youth and family issues
• educational materials on biblical counseling
• one year internships for youth

They are THE leading Christian publishing company in German. They are a force for change nationwide, and they are an indispensable voice in their own "city gates" in Reichelsheim.

Let me give you one example of how cutting edge their outreach is to youth: they developed a living exhibit of the life of Moses that had gone on tour around the country. One person at a time goes through the exhibit, wearing clothing representing various stages in Moses' life. The purpose is not merely to show the life of Moses, but to help the young person wrestle with questions of identity and purpose through living vicariously through Moses. So at one point they are invited to place labels on themselves representing various attitudes towards themselves. Throughout the exhibit are trained workers available to counsel or pray with the participant. People emerge overcome with emotion by what they have experienced, and the lines reach up to three hours to get in.

For my money, the keys to their success are tied to their commitment to each other and their commitment to their vision, all under the banner of seeking God in everything. So why is that so hard to duplicate? Sounds crazy to write it this way, but I think it is really hard to find people who are willing to give up what it takes to really seek God individually and corporately and really work together for a common goal. Can you imagine a 100 member church accomplishing this much?

Synergy, my friends. I am convinced the Body of Christ has not begun to realize its potential impact because of our unwillingness to be built into one another as a collective whole. And yet here I work pretty much on my own. I knew that coming in here, but the tension between my desire to function in community and my conviction that we are called here is pretty large right now.

All I can say is, if God ever closes the doors to Russia, we just may have our next stop.