Dear Reader,
As you probably understand much better than most Americans, our beloved country is being infiltrated, undermined, and destroyed from within. The minds and hearts of our younger citizens are being intentionally deceived and distorted by dangerous lies. Will you please carefully, prayerfully share this prayer letter with younger people you can influence?
Where Are You Heading?
A former president of France said: “The world is unhappy. It is unhappy because it doesn’t know where it is going, and because it senses that if it knew, it would discover that it was heading for disaster.”
The philosophies of the world are deceptive!
The “progress” of the world is degrading!
The people of the world are destitute!
This last statement is what John 3:16 is all about – for our gracious God loves to rescue the destitute! “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:16-21 (ESV)
Concerning the philosophies of the world and the progressiveness of the world, we need to obey and remember the commands of God that He also inspired John to write: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 (ESV) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me… Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:1, 6 (ESV)
“Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 (ESV)
Concerning the Love of Christ
By Richard Wurmbrand
“If all mankind had been righteous and only one man a sinner, Christ would have come to endure the same cross for this one man, He so loves every individual. The Christian teaching is clear. Communists are men and Christ loves them. So does every man who has the mind of Christ. We love the sinner even though we hate the sin. We know about the love of Christ toward the communists by our own love toward them…
Communists have committed and still commit horrors but ‘love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave… Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it’ (Song of Solomon 8:6,7). As the grave insists on having all—rich and poor; young and old; men of all races, nations, and political convictions; saints and criminals—so love is all-embracing. Christ, the Incarnate Love, wants all men to come to Him, including the Communists…
To the same accusation of having an anti-scientific religion, a Christian answered before the court: ‘I am sure, Mr. Judge, that you are not such a great scientist as Simpson, the discoverer of chloroform and many other medicines. When asked which he considered to be his greatest discovery, he answered: ‘It was not chloroform. My greatest discovery has been to know that I am a sinner and that I could be saved by the grace of God.’
The life, the self-sacrifice, the blood that believers are ready to shed for their faith, is the greatest argument for Christianity presented by the Underground Church. It forms what the renowned missionary in Africa, Albert Schweitzer, called ‘the sacred fellowship of those who have the mark of pain’—the fellowship to which Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, belonged. The Underground Church is united by a bond of love toward its Savior. The same bond unites the members of the church with each other. No one in the world can defeat them.” ~ Richard Wurmbrand
Kind Words
“Kind words produce their own image in men’s souls; and a beautiful image it is. They soothe and quiet and comfort the hearer. They shame him out of his sour, morose, unkind feelings. We have not yet begun to use kind words in such abundance as they ought to be used.” ~ Blaise Pascal
“Gay Pride Parade”?
On Saturday, June 15, 2013, when I was walking, praying and distributing Christian literature along the Wilson Creek greenbelt trail near our home, a fellow believer asked me why I wasn’t distributing the literature at the “Gay Pride Parade” over in Boise. The man told me that he is now divorced because his wife had rejected him to become a lesbian and that she was probably marching in that parade. Is that something to be proud of? What is it that she – and the other participants – are celebrating? He also told me about a Christian military man who was invited to speak briefly to a group of homosexuals as the representative of the “right wing” conservative Christians. He accepted their invitation. So what did he tell them? He said approximately the following: “I’m not straight and you’re not gay. We are all sinners in need of the grace of God!” It’s true! It cuts through the layers of lies, excuses, and blatant rebellion to get to the heart of the issue.
One of those deceptive lies that is perpetrated by so-called theologians who choose to practice homosexuality is that the sin of Sodom was the lack of compassion and hospitality to strangers. If you don’t believe this is a blatant distortion of the Word of God, I challenge you to take a concordance and read every passage in Scripture about Sodom and sodomy. Here is one example: “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 7. In warning us about “ungodly men who turn the grace of God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ”, Jude further says, “But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” Jude 10-11. What is the “way of Cain”? Cain was the one who could have sung, “I Did it My Way,” when he offered to God a bloodless offering – the work of his own hands. When God confronted him with his wrongdoing and the sin lurking at his door, instead of conquering the temptation, Cain killed his brother. (Genesis 4:6-8). Beware of religious people who determine to do it their own way. Don’t follow them because “I Did It My Way” could be the theme song of those on their way to hell. They may also decide to attack you if you dare to confront them. Confront them anyway. God did! Jesus did! The apostles did!
Later, on the radio, I heard a story about a “straight” Boy Scout leader who marched with the homosexuals in the Salt Lake City “Gay Pride Parade” in solidarity with their cause. What a travesty! What a ludicrous distortion of truth and righteousness! Why does “a married man with children and a golden retriever” want solidarity with a parade of people who glory in their shame? Did the leaders of the homosexual agenda intentionally call people to demonstrate their rebellion against God? They oppose and mock God’s standards by marching under the banner of attitudes and actions that God hates. See Genesis 19 (the story of Lot and the judgment of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah).
- The attitudes God hates are pride and rebellion, yet rebels who glory in their shame want to parade their pride.
- The actions God hates are all forms of sexual immorality – that is, every form of sexual activity outside the marriage bond of one man with one woman. Adultery, fornication, bi-sexuality, homosexuality, pornography, bestiality, etc.
- The other actions God hates are the practices of lying, twisting Scriptures, and distorting scientific research in vain attempts to justify polluted practices. The homosexual agenda is fueled and promoted by lies. Consider these pertinent passages of Scripture: “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19.
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.” 1Timothy 1:5-11.
Homosexual behavior is classified as an abomination in the Word of God. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” Leviticus 18:22. As you may have noticed in the Proverbs 6 passage, both a proud look and a lying tongue are also classified as “an abomination to Him,” therefore God not only hates the attitude of pride that parades the shame of homosexual behavior, He hates practice of such degradation and the lies used to justify and promote it. We are to have compassion on those trapped by any form of corruption or addiction, but how dare any Christian defy God by seeking to justify such ungodly practices?
Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.”
Is Homosexual Sin a Civil Right?
“They’re equating their sin with my skin.”(Dwight McKissic of Arlington, Texas, who is black, on efforts to compare same-sex marriage to the civil-rights movement. The Blaze, June 21, 2012)
Born that Way?
Please do not hit me with the old worn-out lie that homosexuals are “born that way and it is impossible to change their orientation.” The fact is that every last one of us is born with a corrupted sinful nature which is attracted to sin like iron to a magnet. We are all by nature “children of wrath” – “without God and without hope in this world” because we are all children of our original parents, Adam and Eve. We live on a cursed earth because of their rebellion – their sin – in violating God’s one restriction on their freedom. Eve chose to believe Satan’s lie over God’s truth, and Adam chose to sin with Eve, rather than to stand alone with God for truth and righteousness. Now, rather than wasting your time blaming them for your condition, it will be far better and more profitable to believe the Word of God that you are yourself a sinful rebel. “For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:22-23. “There is none righteous, no not one.” In fact, the prophet Jeremiah by inspiration wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to His ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10. What are you going to say when you stand before the judgment bar of Almighty God and see every thought, motive and action of your entire life? “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13. I don’t want justice – I want grace! What about you? I have accepted the grace of God – for my penalty was paid for by the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ. What about you? “Grace is never sweet until your sin becomes bitter.” ~ Erwin Lutzer
Atheist Churches?
Have you read or heard that now there are some atheists starting their own churches? Recently at an exciting and uplifting Christian concert by Liberty Quartet, the question crossed my mind, “What do atheists have to sing about?” (As a kid, in a foolish moment, I declared myself to be an atheist by saying, “I don’t believe in God – I’ve never seen Him!”) In that foolish moment it did not dawn on me that even though Almighty God is Spirit and invisible to us, yet His wonderous works are abundantly visible in His creation all around us! So, what do atheists have to sing about? Perhaps on the way to hell singing, “I did it My way!”
Potent Quotes
“A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
“There are enough passages in Scripture to comfort people in all spheres of life – and enough passages to alarm them.” ~ Blaise Pascal – Question: Are you allowing the alarming passages to motivate you to appropriate action and allowing the comforting passages to deliver you from fear? “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
Problems?
“Having problems doesn’t necessarily mean you’re outside of God’s will. The apostle Paul was ‘hard pressed on every side’ at a time when he was doing the very thing God called him to do. That’s the way the Christian life works. Adversity often shows up most when you’re serving God best. Wait on the Lord rather than quit. When things get difficult, it’s natural to get perplexed or even disillusioned. But the comma reminds us to be patient, because there’s always hope on the other side of our confusion.
Focus on your assignment, not your antagonizers. Persecution takes place when people, not things, come against you. But handled correctly, persecution can make us less dependent on popularity and more dependent on God.
Winners may get knocked down, but they always get back up. Perhaps the most beautiful reminder of this principle is Jesus. The cross was a beginning, not an ending. A comma, not a period. He was knocked down, but He didn’t stay down, and the result was our eternal redemption. Follow in the steps of your Savior by persevering through your pain. You may be ‘struck down,’ but you won’t be destroyed. All these things are part of the good news we have in Christ! So the next time you’re going through a season of extreme difficulty, remember… That period of time in your life doesn’t come with a period. You serve the God of the comma, and He didn’t bring you this far to only bring you this far…” ~ Pastor Paul Sheppard
“The Christian life is a call to glory by the pathway of suffering.” ~ John MacArthur – We are pilgrims in a hostile world. We are saved to suffer. “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation… Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:11-12, 18-25 (ESV)
Prayer Requests/From Our Mailbox
“Beloved brothers and sisters, we highly appreciate your prayers! We feel their power all the time! Thank you so much for all your fraternal care, sacrificial help, and unceasing prayers! With great joy, I present to you the Christian Center for Science and Apologetics first Summer 2023 newsletter. Do you want to hear a popular Ukrainian joke? Here it is: I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took three days. Well, we do spend some of the nighttime at the food storage room serving us as a shelter. And you know, people grew to see the night air raids as an advantage. Since the offices, stores, and businesses have to close during the alert, when the raids happen at night, one can manage many more daytime tasks. Well, it is hard to believe that events in Ukraine are real in XXI-century Europe. Especially hard to believe in this for people who do not trust what the Bible says about human depravity. As for us, we continue the Kingdom work, and this is amazing to see how powerfully God works through our feeble efforts. May His name be praised!
For instance, despite all the odds, we have already published 10 new books since the beginning of the year! Our volunteers use them to equip believers for effective evangelism through the ministries among refugees and displaced persons, to those in war zones, to military men at the frontline and the air defense troops. Many believers are fighting alongside those who do not know Jesus. They turn foxholes, bunkers, and barracks into a mission field. We printed the booklet ‘What Is the Bible?’ specifically to equip Christian soldiers (in both meanings of the phrase) for sharing the Good News in combat trenches with their comrades-in-arms. For instance, our volunteer D. reads the book one paragraph at a time to his unit on air whenever the situation allows and has already started a small Bible study group with his fighting friends. 1000 copies of the booklet gone in two weeks! We should consider another print run now. May the Lord be praised! Please join our prayers for those who fight for both human lives and souls!
Interestingly, some military men, who still contemplate accepting Jesus, ask to send our materials to their children! Understanding the cost of discipleship, they hesitate to make the decision themselves quite yet, however, they want their kids to know Jesus! Isn’t this special? With great joy, we fulfill their requests. At the same time, many children in the occupied territories and war zones, as well as refugees and IDPs, are not able to manage hardcopy books. That is why after the Executive Team strategic planning discussion, we launched a new project, ‘Student Memos’, for evangelism through education. We created two web pages and two Telegram channels (in Russian and in Ukrainian) where we post catchy facts a few times a week that complement the public school curricula yet deliver the Biblical message.
We also share each publication on all social media platforms popular in former Soviet Union countries. To keep this project going, we enrolled new teammates – Andrey and Olya Dushkin, who previously served as volunteers and were responsible for our web platform development and security. Please pray with us about the devoted couple of Christ’s servants and the project they run. May more children come to know God’s Truth through it!
The online ministry approaches we developed during the COVID quarantine became extremely helpful and popular during the war. Every day we make a few posts in Russian and Ukrainian on the four most popular social network platforms. Since the beginning of the year, we have gained:
157.300 Youtube views – almost as much as during the entire 2022 (164.100, which in fact were 59% more than in ministry’s sake with 7.000+ subscribers).
75.300 Facebook views (vs 60.200 in the entire 2022; these numbers don’t count my personal page used for the 30.000 Telegram views (vs 25.000 in entire 2022).
Please pray for the Christian workers who use those resources as well for the hearts of people to be open for the message.
In the same way the soldiers fight for the country, Christian schoolteachers in the public education system are the army fighting for the next generations’ hearts and minds. That is why properly equipping them with the biblical truths incorporated into the public curricula continues to be among our top priorities. It was a special joy for us to present our resources and share the vision and strategies for shaping schoolchildren’s worldview at the Christian Teachers’ Conference in Lviv (Western Ukraine). Please join our prayers for these devoted, sacrificial servants of the Lord who faithfully continue their work in the country despite all the troubles of the war.
Another trip to Lviv we made was for the Disciples Leadership School graduation. We are so humbled to see more and more workers the Lord called to His field in such challenging times! Please pray with us for the harvest!
We used both trips as an opportunity to visit our volunteers, teammates, board members and friends on the way. It was a great encouragement for us, and we hope we also encouraged them. A special blessing was a team retreat at the city of Rivne (two of our board members, one director and many teammates and volunteers gathered in that area since the war began) and a planning session with the Ukrainian Evangelical Seminary Academic board. May the Lord bless our plans, and may He guide and protect us through all the turmoil we face!
Last but not least, we continue the colloquiums at the Joint School of Christian Apologetics to share our resources with other ministries and churches and discuss constructive approaches in national practical theology development in the context of the challenges Ukraine faces. May the Lord grant us wisdom and humbleness for this.
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine, for the protection of our fellow workers wherever they are, and for the Lord’s guidance to us in this time of uncertainty. Please continue to pray for our teammates who defend our land. May the Lord protect them! Please pray for Ukraine, the Lord’s intervention in the midst of troubles, and many people in other countries who care and help. Please pray for the lives of soldiers and civilians and the peace in our country! Most of all, please pray for the Lord’s guidance for us in these difficult times. Yours by the grace of Jesus, Sergei (Golovin)”
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“Dear Rick, sorry for the delay with the answer – I was on the trip around the country visiting teammates, board members and partners as well as equipping God’s soldiers with books – tools for their fight. Thank you so much for your care, brother! I agree – Ukraine is in the focus of satanic attack now and three threats you mention are the top ones among many. Spiritual war never ends!
It is shocking to see how demons manipulate the minds of people trying to destroy them not only spiritually, but physically as well – to deprive them from the opportunity to receive the message of salvation. Preaching the Biblical truth is effective weapon against the second and the third ones. Russia destroys Ukraine and Ukrainians physically – thousands of them will never hear the Gospel message anymore. But at the same time Russian propaganda depict the demonic agent Putin as a savior of Ukraine from the later two threats. Regretfully many in the West buy this satanic lie. It is really painful.
Yes, brother, I would love to see the text you suggest! I highly appreciate your comprehension of the spiritual warfare you faithfully face! May the Lord bless you as abundantly as you are blessing for many! Yours by His grace, Sergei (Golovin)”
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Good afternoon, “Sergei. Great! I’ll ask Sandy to send you the digital copy of More than Conquerors in Cultural Clashes, 2020 Edition. Have you had opportunity to look over the digital copy of Millions of Miracles: The Evolutionist’s Dilemma? Concerning your comment about the delay in your response, no problem! I praise God that you were busy with the work our Father has called you to do and equipped you for! Concerning this latest email – it would be a great one to share in our August prayer letter – is that okay with you?
May the resurrected Lord Jesus be always your joy, your hope, your comfort, your strength and victory! May you come to know Him deeper, love Him dearer and follow Him nearer! “Now may the God of hope fill you with all peace and joy as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 Respectfully yours & His, Rick
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“Rick and Della, I always look forward eagerly to each word from you – whether monthly newsletter or kind note or whatever. And I do hope that by the gracious working of my Dear Lord Jesus , Della’s neuropathy pain is manageable. Thank you for the news concerning the Ukraine in this most recent newsletter. And thank you also for the other news items that you included along with the newsletter. The focus on the family interviews concerning the World Health Organization was most enlightening – and most troubling. Thank you for including the telephone number to call to request that our nation cut all ties with that organization… Again – thank you for your repeated kindnesses and the enclosures that you send. May my Beloved Lord Jesus greatly bless you both. ~ Ken (Morris)”
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“Dear Rick, thank you very much for the books and booklets. I just received the books! Thank you for sharing those with me. I’ll take time to read it. May God bless and strengthen you! Sergei Yurevich”
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Good afternoon, Sergei. You are very welcome for the books and pamphlets. My prayer is that our gracious God will use them in your life to shape you more and more into the image of our Lord Jesus and better equip you for serving Him heart and soul to the glory of God! Respectfully yours & His, Rick
Are You Staying Put?
“Stay centered in Christ when the world distracts you. Stay confident in the Word when the truth evades you. Stay compassionate toward others when hate surrounds you. Stay connected to the church when people disappoint you. Stay committed to the faith when doubt overwhelms you. Stay consistent in your walk when life tests you. Stay constructive in your relationships when love fails you. Stay challenged to grow when complacency tempts you. Stay convinced of His Coming when hope fails you. Stay calm in your heart when trials surround you.” ~ Anonymous
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16-17 (ESV)
“My Favorite Things”
Many of you will remember watching the movie, “The Sound of Music” and hearing Julie Andrews singing,
“My Favorite Things”.
Recently I made a list of things that make me smile…..
- Music, especially songs about our great God
- Cards from our son and daughter and our grandchildren
- Little children’s smiles
- Early morning coffee
- Rick’s dancing around the house when his heart is rejoicing
- Animals that God created for our enjoyment
- Encouraging verses in God’s Word
- Special times with family and friends
- Beautiful sunrises and sunsets
- Ocean scenes
- Good movies to watch at the end of the day when we are tired and need to relax
- Ice Cream
Below is an example of a song I recently heard when we were at Sunrise Christian Church in Ontario, Oregon, – one I hadn’t heard before. It touched my heart in a special way!
“Trust His Heart”
“God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don’t understand, when you don’t see His plan,
When you can’t trace His hand –
Trust His Heart
He alone is faithful and true.
He alone knows what is best for you.
So when you don’t understand, when you don’t see His plan,
When you can’t trace His hand –
Trust His Heart.”
(Words and Music by Eddie Carswell and Babbie Mason. Arranged by Tom Fettke.)
I’d like to encourage each of you to make your own list of “Favorite Things” – and then take the opportunity to thank God for the joy they bring to you – and dance around the house if you want to do so. 😊
