He is Risen, Indeed! (April 2016 Update)
In Ukraine, Easter is still a month away (May 1) because Ukraine follows the Orthodox Easter. But our friends and families in the US will be celebrating the Resurrection this Sunday! No event in human history compares to the resurrection of Jesus! When you compare all the other major religions in the world, only Christianity has a resurrected founder. Only Christianity has a living redeemer! The resurrection is clearly the most unique event in all of human history!
But it is more than “unique.” It is also the most significant event in history. Because, without the resurrection, even the cross of Jesus is meaningless. Why? Because the resurrection verifies who Jesus is (Romans 1:4) and proves that He conquered both sin and death. Let me explain. When Jesus died on the cross, all our sins were placed on Him. If He goes into the grave and does not rise from the dead, then He has not paid for our sins in full. Because death is the penalty for sin. And if our sins are not paid for in full, Jesus cannot rise from the death because there will still be sins on Him that He did not atone for. But when he rises from the dead, it is proof that all our sins have been paid in full by the death of Jesus on the cross. And the resurrection proves they are all paid for! This is why we celebrate the resurrection, not just once a year on Easter, but every Sunday – He is risen indeed!
So you see, the cross and the resurrection go together. They are inseparable. Without the cross, the resurrection might be a spectacular and unique event, but it means nothing if Jesus did not die on the cross to pay for our sins. And without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless also. It simply becomes a sad event in which an innocent man was unjustly and unlawfully put to death. If he does not rise from the dead, then He did not pay for our sins and we cannot say, “death and hell could not hold Him.”
I saw a really interesting cartoon posted on Facebook this week. It is from the B.C. comic strip. One character says to the other, “I hate the term, ‘Good Friday.’” The other asks why and he replies, “My Lord was hanged on a tree that day.” His friend replies: “If you were going to be hanged on that tree and he volunteered to take your place, how would you feel?” He answers, “Good!” And he friend departs saying, “Have a nice day!” Good Friday is only good because Jesus rose from the dead as proof that all our sins were forgiven on the cross that day. That makes a Good Friday and a very Happy Easter!
Ministry Opportunities in March …
March was a very busy month but we saw countless blessings from the various ministries. First, I taught class of 25 non-Christian university students at Shevchenko University in our English Clubs (we had 291 total students in this year’s clubs!). Every night, we taught English and then had an hour of Bible Study talking about Jesus and salvation from the Gospel of John. This Tuesday, Katya and I will be hosting a 5-week evangelistic Bible study in our home for many of these students who are interested in learning more about the Bible. Be praying for us. This is a very important step in our follow-up. We have done this the last 3 years and seen many students become very open to the gospel and some have become follows of Christ. Be praying for this important outreach!
Following the Clubs, I taught a group of Church Planters and Pastors on the Practice and Theology of Prayer at Kiev Theological Seminary. The students said they had never really thought about many of the theological aspects that we discussed and they also appreciated the practical exercises in prayer that we did in class. One of their favorite exercises was praying the scriptures each day. If you have not read Don Whitney’s book, Praying the Scriptures, I would encourage you to get a copy and begin to pray the Word of God in your own quiet times.
Following that class, I taught Research and Writing for Biblical Counseling for our Masters students in the Biblical Counseling program. It is always a great joy to teach this class as I see the progress students make in learning to construct logical arguments and research topics and put together papers for ministry. On the final day, the students thanked us repeatedly for helping them learn these skills that will be helpful for sermons, papers, presentations, and other areas for ministry!
Progress on our House …
As we reported in our last update, we were given an opportunity to purchase a family property outside of Kiev where we can remodel an existing barn/garage into a house. Doing this will save us a lot of money over rent plus provide a place for the kids to be able to be outside (rare living on the 23rd floor in the city). Plus, the property has mature fruit trees and a garden that will give us fresh fruits and vegetables.
Using our savings,, we have already purchased the property and work is going quickly. The roof has been torn off and a 2nd story is being added. Water, electric and gas are hooked up and we are putting in floors. We will give more details in another update later this week. Our biggest need is for additional funds (either short-term loans or gifts) so we can finish the work and get the house “into the dry.” But we are excited about being able to live in a house and save about ½ of what we currently pay for rent!
Family …
The girls continue to grow and develop. Nadia is standing now and soon will be walking. Kristina is becoming very proficient in Russian, speaking every day with one of her grandmas or Katya’s nieces.
Continue to pray for Ukraine…
Things continue to be stable for the moment in Ukraine, but we are not sure what Putin’s next move will be now that he has pulled out of Syria. Ukraine’s economy continues to struggle with inflation and with a devaluation of the local currency. The government is in need of reform since it is still run by corruption. Continue to pray for Ukraine to make a transition to a European style government and economy.
Also, please pray for ministries here in Ukraine. We are training leaders here as long as the door of opportunity is open. It is exciting to see the new churches they are starting as well as their impact in various ministries. Thanks for being our partners in the gospel here in Ukraine!
May you have a very special time celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus! Without the resurrection, we would have no hope and no ministry! Praise God that we serve a risen Savior!
By His Grace,
Jim, Katya and Kristina and Nadia
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