"Evangelize every day" - Regional Youth Conference in the city of Georgievsk

“Sing to the Lord all the earth…” is a call to focus on God and glorify Him throughout life. David says: "My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready: I ​​will sing and praise." (Ps. 56:8). When our gaze is focused on God and our heart glorifies Him, then evangelism is a natural part of life. This was recalled by the pastor of the local St. George community, Mikhail Medvedev. The leaders of the youth ministry from different cities spoke about their church’s activity within the southern region. This news encouraged us and reminded us of the importance of noticing the work of God and thanking Him for it. Let us not forget to support in prayer those laboring in ministry.

After the first session, every participant could choose to attend one of three seminars: "Evangelism Practice" by Pastor Repin, “History of Evangelism in the South of Russia” by Pastor Demchenko,  or “Preparation for Evangelism” by Pastor Glubochenko. The seminars were held twice and lasted about an hour.

The second conference session was led by Alexei Kislitsyn, who pastors Pyatigorsk church. He drew our attention to the following part of the conference text: “Evangelize every day” (1 Chronicles 16:23). Our main purpose is to be the messengers of Jesus Christ: "... in order to proclaim the perfection of He who called you from darkness into His wonderful light;" (1 Pet. 2: 9). God placed us in a specific environment and we need to shine, and not to run away from that environment, remembering that our good deeds help people receive the gospel. We look at the example of Christ, who, despite a different attitude on the part of people, always preached the Kingdom of God. He says: "Go! I am sending you as lambs among the wolves." (Luke 10: 3). Who do we look more like – a lamb or a wolf? We will not change into the “clothes of the world”, because even in our clothing, the Christian must be different from those around him. Today, for those who were not faithful messengers of Christ, there is still time to repent and ask Him for eternal life.

Then each participant received a calendar for the following year, on which his "prayer day" for the gospel was celebrated, so that during the year the prayer for the gospel would not stop. A great blessing for all of us was the lunch break, during which we physically supported ourselves, and also talked with friends from different cities.

At the final conference session, brothers from Kislovodsk, Essentuki and Lermontov, noted the value of practical evangelism tools that were presented at the seminars. Then Vladimir Zhulin from Terek, highlighted the final words of our text: "His salvation." The main theme of the Bible is the salvation of men through Jesus Christ. One can live without Christ somehow, but it is impossible to be saved without Him. Simeon says: "For my eyes have seen your salvation," (Luke 2:30). Faith in God consists in trusting in His words and receiving Christ’s gift of salvation. Tell people about Christ's death and resurrection, and what He has done for you. Be specific: "He lives in my life and I hope that He will also be real for you. Christ has given me joy. I hope that He will give you this joy. Can I pray for you?" Prayer is also a powerful testimony. It is important to encourage someone to confess sins and show that rejection of Christ’s salvation leads to death. The apostle Paul says: "for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole council of God” (Acts 20:27).

In conclusion, the senior Pastor Timofey Levdansky of the Stavropol Territory, summed up the results of our gathering and called on those who desired to repent and renew their relationship with God. By the Holy Spirit’s stirring, more than 20 people turned to the Lord in prayer, which encouraged us to rejoice and thank God for His work in us. He reminded us that throughout the year we need to constantly evangelize, so that these words will always be fulfilled: "Sing to the Lord, all the earth, proclaim His salvation day after day." (1 Chronicles 16:23).

A. Medvedev.