Making and Maturing

Progress

Wednesday and Thursday here in St. Petersburg consisted of our Russian brothers delivering short sermons which we would evaluate.  This year the sermons were outstanding.  I cannot overstate the degree of improvement in the sermons from 2009 until now.

The reason they were so great is the men preached on one primary passage, took special note of the context, and make specific application to the listeners.  This is very encouraging because it means that the last 5 years of ministry here have been effective.

Why does this matter?  It matters because this work will make a difference for the gospel for the rest of the lives of these ministers.  The collective impact on the northwest part of Russia will be impossible to estimate.  Not only that, but these men will in turn teach younger brothers how to preach.  This means that literally for generations to come, biblical sermons will be heard in Russian pulpits.

As an example, our brother Slava preached on Thursday.  His sermon was well done, even though he hasn’t had much experience.  The last time I was in Russia Slava wasn’t in the program, he was in prison.  Since 2009 he has come to faith in Christ and is currently being discipled by other believers here.  He is preaching in a prison mininstry to men with whom he has a clear connection.  

Slava is not only honoring God by serving him in the prison, he is honoring God by delivering clear, biblical sermons.  I praise God for using us to help foster the proclamation of his word worldwide.  May it never cease.

Tuesday in St. Petersburg

This was an excellent day of class.  Our teaching and discussion revealed that “the brothers” here are not only grasping concepts, but applying them.  Engle did great sharing his perspective on preaching as a congregant and elder.  The men had many questions for him about our church, and he answered very well.

After class we went to the southern part of St. Petersburg to see a new “house of prayer” (= church building) that one of the pastors in our class is working on.  It was very exciting, because this is only the second piece of property the Russian Baptist Union has purchased in the entire city.  This means that in a city of well over 5 million people, this will only be the second “house of prayer” owned outright by the Baptist Union.  This is a sobering thought.

Pastor Vladimir, after showing us the building, took us to eat and then to a prayer meeting for his church.  We crammed over 30 people into a tiny living room.  We sang, prayed, and shared from God’s Word.  Engle shared from Gen. 3:1-19 about why we need each other to fight sin and remember the gospel.  I shared from James 1:16-18 about the immutability of God and why that is a good thing.  My dad shared from Psalm 131 about how God is always faithful.  

What was so encouraging was that virtually all of the people at this meeting were former drug or alcohol addicts who had been saved in one of the rehabilitation ministry centers.  God is at work here, and the sheer simplicity of their method is encouraging: give people the gospel.

Thursday night we will be visitng a rehabilitation center to deliver God’s Word and hopefully get some ideas for implementing this kind of ministry at home.

Weather update: it finally stopped snowing… then it started again.

First Day of Class

We had a memorable first day of class. The Russian “brothers” have traveled far to be here. We spent the day reviewing the core concepts of expository preaching and discussing the challenges of preaching difficult texts.

Engle even got to share some of his perspective as to what he would do if his pastor ever avoided difficult texts. I assured him that his pastor would never do that!

These men are an example of tremendous sacrifice for the gospel.

Lunch was more soup (potato, I think), and a mystery meat on something approaching mashed potatoes. Tough sledding.

Tonight we will try to find an Internet cafe and a restaurant we are confident in.

Oh yeah- snow snow snow snow.

Tomorrow more class and then off to a rehab ministry center.

What We’re Doing

We very much enjoyed worshipping at “Central Church” in St. Petersburg. The service was 2 hours long, and included my dad giving a greeting and myself preaching on John 1:1, along with another sermon, much singing, public repentance, a children’s song, and much prayer.

We had a lunch of cabbage soup, buckwheat, and liver. Our hosts graciously spared us the liver!

We will be teaching a class on preaching difficult passages Monday through Friday.

Tuesday night we will be visiting a drug rehab center a few hours outside of the city.

Wednesday night we will be ministering to a home group at one church plant in the city. Engle will be leading a devotion.

Thursday night we will be having dinner with two pastors and their families.

There is snow everywhere! We have already been encouraged and hope to be useful to the Lord by serving his church here.

Off to Russia

Lord willing, I am headed back to St. Petersburg, Russia on Friday.  I am very excited to return and once again participate in pastoral training with some Russian brothers in Christ.

I am looking forward to seeing friends I made back in 2009, as well as making new ones.  I am also very excited to be taking one our elders to share our ministry foundations for Biblical counseling and glean insights from the church in Russia.

The specific class I will be teaching is called “Preaching Difficult Topics” and is designed to help work through difficult texts and touchy subjects.  Please pray that I would be able to communicate effectively, especially with a translator.

It is my hope that God will be glorifiied through our trip and the church in and around St. Petersburg will be better equipped as a result.  

I will do my best to post updates here for the church to stay informed.