In its purest form, the whole concept of language is a reflection of Jesus, the Word of God. I do not understand Russian. But as I study the Russian language and begin to use it, even if it is broken and unpolished, it allows me to have a fuller existence. With only a handful of words I can buy things in the store, ask for directions, or bargain with salespeople. If I tried to do the same speaking only English I would only get laughed at and garner a confused look. Language is how people find understanding among each other. Jesus, the Word, is how we find understanding with God.
The author of Hebrews tells us that God, "…in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things…" (Heb. 1:2). We didn’t understand God, but He spoke to us in the only language we could understand. "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…"—Jesus was and is the only way for us to have understanding with God.
And ultimately He is only way we can have understanding with each other. Even if I learned Russian well enough to speak it without flaw I could never fully express myself the way God has done through His singular Word in Jesus.
My Russian is far from perfect. On the contrary, eta plohah (it’s bad). Thankfully, we are working with students who speak much better English than we speak Russian. Sometimes conversation is slow; especially when talking about spiritual issues, but a little patience on both sides gets the job done.
Patience is a becoming quite the familiar concept in ministry here in Minsk. But there are some bright spots that are moving along quickly. Take Yuri, for example. Yuri became a Christian this summer when some of my friends shared the Gospel with him. After my friends returned, he continued to grow spiritually and when I met him in September, he was just becoming involved in a church. Now he is in a Bible study that I’m leading and continues to grow faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. Yuri has great potential as a leader and is already helping out with the ministry here—and he hasn’t been a Christian but six months. God is definitely at work in His life and other students like him.
On the other hand, the going is slow with non-believers. The other day I talked to a student named Pavel who, after hearing the Gospel, told me that he saw nothing wrong with his life and that there was no need for him to accept Christ. This is where your prayers are needed. Please be in prayer that students like Pavel will see that life without Christ is an incomplete life, and ultimately a life that is eternally separated from God. (On a positive note though, Pavel is still interested in discussing the matter further—pray specifically that he will come to know God through Christ.)
I want to thank you for your involvement in this ministry. It’s a great comfort to our team to know that we’re not over here in the snow and cold alone. Your prayers are constantly felt and are a great encouragement.
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