Necessity … (April 2019 Update)
When I think of the cross, many terms come to my mind: unbounded love, justice, forgiveness and satisfaction. But one term stands out to me. And it is one that we rarely think about at Easter: necessity. In Luke 24, the risen Christ says to the travelers on the Emmaus Road: “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory? Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” “Was it not necessary?” Jesus asks.
In English, the word “necessity” means something that is absolutely required, or indispensable. If there was any other way for man to be saved, it would not be necessary for Jesus to die. But there was not. There is no other way.
We see necessity often in the words of Jesus, especially when his disciples are not comfortable hearing about his suffering and his death. In Matthew 16, after Peter makes his great confession about Jesus being the Christ (vv. 13-20), Jesus tells his disciples that he “must go” to Jerusalem to suffer and die and be raised up on the third day (vv. 21). That’s necessity! If there was any other way …. but there is not.
The necessity of the cross is seen most clearly in the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus is facing the cross and facing the sins of the world being placed upon him. Three times he prays with great agony for this cup (the cup of God’s wrath toward sin) to be removed. Notice what he says: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Three times – “if it is possible.” But it is not. Without the death of Jesus, the salvation of God cannot come to man and we cannot be saved. The cup of God’s wrath against sin must be drunk – all of it – so that man can be saved. Jesus must suffer and go to the cross and die as a payment for our sins. In the Garden, Jesus cries out, three times, for this cup to be removed. But without it, there is no payment for sin. It is necessary!
But there is one other necessity to think about on Easter – the necessity of the resurrection. Even if Jesus dies on the cross and is laid in the tomb, and if he does not rise, then we are still in our sins and we have become of all men, most miserable (1 Corinthians 15). If Jesus does not rise from the dead, it means that death can hold him. It means that his payment for sin was not sufficient. So the resurrection is also absolutely necessary. In Romans 1:4, Paul says that Jesus was proven to be the Son of God “by the resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection confirms the payment on the cross. Without the resurrection, the cross is just a sad story of a good man unjustly put to death. But the resurrection proves that Jesus is the Christ and that his payment on the cross was indeed sufficient to cover all the sins placed upon him. He drank the cup of God’s wrath to the bottom. He paid it all and death could not hold him! That’s necessity! There was no other way. There is no other way.
So when you think about the cross this Easter season, think about the deep, deep love of God. There was no necessity in God to save us (He was not required to do so). He would have been completely just to condemn every one of us and send us to hell forever for our sins. It was His great love for us that lead to the cross. And think about justice. God cannot simply let sin go unpunished. There must be a payment for sin – that’s necessity – if God is truly just. And remember forgiveness. It comes only if there is a full and sufficient payment for our sins. And think about satisfaction – the wrath of God could not be satisfied without a sufficient payment for our sins. But also think about necessity – “Was it not necessary” for the Christ to die and rise again? That’s what I think about when I think about Easter – necessity! No other way…
The Necessity of the Gospel …
At least twice a year, I have a great opportunity to be involved in an evangelistic outreach to share the gospel with university students at Ukraine’s national university. This past month (March), we interviewed nearly 400 students who wanted to come to our week-long English Conversation Clubs. Due to space limitations and available English teachers, we are only able take about 160 students.
This year our ministry met in the new Campus Ministry center. This office space near the university was purchased by Campus Ministry and was renovated into a great multipurpose ministry center. Here they can have student activities, Bible studies, discipleship and training. This was not possible on the university campus. This was our first year holding English Clubs at the center and it was a bit of a challenge with so many student and smaller space. But the Campus leaders divided the students into two sessions (afternoon classes and evening classes) and we had 10-12 small groups scattered around the center. It worked pretty good. The big advantage over using university classrooms is that we can talk openly about our faith.
Our groups meet for about 2 1/2 hours each session. We begin with a large group setting with activities and testimonies for about 30 minutes. Then we split up into our groups. We have an hour of conversations around an English topic (always with some spiritual questions at the end) then we have a short break followed by an hour reading and discussing a Bible passage. Two of the most interesting were the lesson on the prodigal son and a lesson on the unforgiving servant. I was able to present the gospel in both and able to share my testimony.
The campus ministry workers are meeting one-on-one with students over the next few weeks and we will also be doing follow-up bible studies and other student-related activities over the next few months. Continue to pray for Campus Ukraine (the student ministry here) as they meet with these students. Also pray for their English Camp which will take place in July this year.
The cross is a necessity for our salvation but sharing the gospel is a necessity for us as believers. My main ministry in Ukraine is teaching theology and preparing people for ministry. Evangelistic opportunities are few due to my language limitations. Good theology is essential. But unless it results in sharing the gospel with others, it is really, in some ways, just a selfish exercise. In his most theological letter, the Apostle Paul reminded us of the necessity of evangelism: “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. [But] how shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
The Necessity of Planting Seeds (Family Update) …
March for us is a time to get ready for spring planting. Our last frost date is mid-May so we can plant very little before May. So we get started my planting seeds indoors so we will have some strong seedlings to plant in May. Kristina and Nadia love helping with this and enjoy watching as the seeds begin to sprout and stick their heads through the soil (Katya is planting too – I just didn’t have any pictures of her at work – only this one of her resting 🙂). Planting seeds is a necessity for us because we need a head start in our short growing season.
Planting seeds is also a necessity spiritually. First, we need to plant seeds in our children’s hearts. We do this through songs and conversations and through reading the Bible. Almost every morning, I read a passage from the Bible for the family at breakfast. A few days ago, after I read a passage from the Psalms, Kristina said, “Papa, I like when you read from that book.” Even though she doesn’t fully understand the Bible, we are planting seeds that we hope will one day produce spiritual fruit.
In Galatians 6, Paul speaks to us about financial giving in ministry. He tells us that a person will reap what he sows. He also tells us that it is not just finances but also good works. He says that we must “not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” In 2 Corinthians 9:6, we read that the one who “sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.” We have been greatly blessed that others have invested in our ministry here and many of the seeds planted here in Ukraine are bearing much fruit in many Ministries. We all need to sow seeds through financially supporting the Lord’s ministries and also through doing good deeds ourselves. But without sowing these seeds, we would not see any harvest.
So we plant seeds, we water the ground and we await God’s harvest. (“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”) But nothing would happen without the necessity of planting seeds.
Many of you are praying for my health. I greatly appreciate this. I often forget to add an update about my health because I’m usually feeling okay when I am doing the update. But my health fluctuates a lot. Most of the time, I feel pretty good – at least normal. But whenever I overexert myself, I still become very short of breath and my heart rate and BP rise significantly. Even after the episode has passed, I am worn out by it and it takes a few hours to a day to recover. I’m trying to exercise every day and have purchased a stationary bike so that I can ride about 30 minutes every day. I’m on a very low resistance and sometimes I just have to stop and rest. I’m hoping that regular exercise like this will help we regain some strength. But some days I wonder if anything will help. But I understand the necessity of continuing to labor for the Lord while I have time and have strength! Thanks for your prayers for me!
The Necessity of Godly Living …
On April 2nd, a dear brother, Scott Clark, went to be with the Lord. They found multiple brain tumors last month that were too far progressed. Scott was a really great man of the Lord that touched so many lives as a father, Chick-fil-a owner and as a leader in the churches he served. I have struggled to write something on Facebook about Scott, but nothing seemed to fully describe the impact of his godly life on us. But as I read each person’s story of how Scott impacted their lives, I was reminded of the importance of godly living. Something Scott demonstrated for us all.
I first met Scott in 1986 when he and his wife, Jo, came to Connecticut with Jim Elliff to plan a summer missions trip from Cornerstone Bible Fellowship. I got to see the depth of Scott’s love for the Lord and for people when we moved to Arkansas in 1991 to become the pastor of Cornerstone. Scott quickly became a dear friend and also a faithful co-laborer. He was active in a Financial Counseling Ministry started by John Hargrave and Randy Dennis. He served as a deacon and small group leader and ministered in many other ways. More than anything, Scott was a disciple maker and a mentor. But most of all, he and Jo modeled a godly Christian lifestyle for us all.
We spent time playing sports together and coaching our boys. When Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer and began treatments that lasted over 12 years, Scott and Jo helped us out with the kids many times. Even after Debbie passed away, whenever I had to be out of town or teaching overseas, Scott would come by and check on the boys (Joy was married and Meredith was in college). My family was greatly blessed by Scott and Jo in so many ways! The numerous testimonies of many other people on Facebook show that Scott was this kind of person to everyone he met.
Godliness is not simply a matter of right theology. Often times people have correct theology but their lives do not show godliness. Godliness is a lifestyle, not a set of right beliefs. Scott (like his father, Lewis, before him) not only had right theology – he lived a godly life that was evidenced by his impact on many, many people. He will be dearly missed but his legacy of touched lives will live on in every one of us. Godliness is not an option for us all; it is a necessity. We have no idea how long we will live. We need to remember the necessity of living a godly lifestyle that touches lives.
Praying for Ukraine
The first round of the presidential elections are over. Zelenskiy captured 30% of the vote and the incumbent president, Poroshenko, captured about 15%. There will be a run-off election on April 21st to determine who will be president of Ukraine for the next 5 years. Be praying for Ukraine. Ukraine has make great progress the last 5 years but the next 5 will be critical to ensure future stability in the nation. Pray that the people of Ukraine will make wise, informed decisions.
We still are unsure how Putin and Russia will respond. The Duma (Russian parliament) has already voted that the Ukrainian elections are not legitimate. They are now saying that they will not work with a government led by Poroshenko but they will accept one led by Zelenskiy. It is hard to evaluate what this means. At the least, it seems that Russia is still trying to influence the Ukrainian elections. At the worse, some fear that Zelenskiy might be a Russian “Trojan Horse.”
Continue to pray for the protection of Ukraine. More and more soldiers die each week in attacks from the Russian supported groups in Eastern Ukraine. And Russia continues to build up their forces in Crimea and around Ukraine. They continue to hold over 100 Ukrainian prisoners in Russia as well as the 24 sailors that they captured in the Black Sea over 4 months ago. Russia refuses to allow access to these prisoners. Pray for their release as well.
Pray for Russia as well. The Russian government continues to shut down evangelical seminaries. In the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbass, Russian authorities not only shut down evangelical works but openly persecute them.
Thank you for your support and for your prayers as we continue to minister here in Ukraine. We are grateful of you and for your partnership here!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya
Kristina and Nadia
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