Peace to your hearts! A word of prayer from Piotr Mitskevich regarding the situation in Russia and the world

“Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.          

Matthew 24:1-24

Matthew describes the conversation of the Lord Jesus with his disciples. Jesus calls them to FAITH, PATIENCE, and for the GOSPEL to go out to everyone. He strictly warns them so that no one deceives or is deceived. FOLLOW CHRIST ONLY!

• When we hear about wars and rumors of war, “Do not be afraid” - do not panic, do not be taken back ... for all this must be, but this is not the end:
• “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues and earthquakes in places; yet it is the beginning. There will be persecution."
• TIME OF PROBLEMS and DIFFICULTIES and TIME FOR THE GOSPEL. Matt. 24:13 He who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.

Each country has its own unique blessings and experiences. At present, the eyes of the whole world are riveted on our region, questions are being asked about Ukraine, about Russia. I was asked several questions. To this I made several points:

1. Believers should be SALT and LIGHT in this world of worries and difficulties. In this sinful life, the message of our loving Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, must continue. And we, as believers, as Christians who have followed the Lord, should ask the question “what would Jesus do in our context today, what would He say and do?”
2. The main task: the main purpose of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth was not for political action - to fight against the Roman Empire or to become the King of the earthly kingdom, BUT to end suffering and sin into the world - SALVATION and REDEMPTION from sin. THE LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST BECAME A RECONCILIATOR - every person on this earth needs to take care of his soul and be made right with GOD. Then we can fulfill the commandment that Christ left to the church: “Love one another”, if the heart is filled with faith and love for the Lord, then we can accept, forgive, love our neighbors.”
3. The Kingdom of Christ, the Kingdom of God is not of this world. This is the Kingdom where the Lord Jesus Christ reigns. And above all, the Lord desires repentance, the conversion of man to God from sinful deeds, the rejection of the deeds of Satan, and the beginning of following the Lord. Earthly life flies by very quickly, and we will need to stand before the judgment of God, and the main question will be - not how big your salary is, how many houses you have built, how much money is in the bank - but, “do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you lived in the truth?” Micah 6:8 tells us, “O man! It has been said to you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.”
4. We live in difficult times: This is what the apostle Paul writes: 2 Timothy 3:1 Know that in the last days hard times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, ungodly, unfriendly, 3 irreconcilable, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, not loving what is good, 4 traitors, impudent, pompous, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness, but denying its power.

Today, people are looking out for themselves, protecting their own interests. Everyone believes that he can create and defend his own "truth". These are times when earthly leaders cannot resolve issues and need the mediator from the book of Revelation.

Each of us needs to take inventory of ourselves, checking the state of our faith, our walk of faith before God. How important it is to cry out to God (1 Timothy 2), to pray for earthly kings, for rulers - in order to lead a quiet and peaceful life - so that the Gospel spreads, so that the church of Christ is strengthened. “But the Lord of peace Himself will give you peace always in everything. The Lord is with you all” 2 Thess. 3:16.

LET’S CONTINUE TO PRAY that the LORD would have mercy on us to keep us from war, that he would make the rulers, government officials wiser to make decisions in fear of God. The church must continue to comfort, preach God's Word, and be faithful to Christ. Let us be spiritually vigilant, not afraid, testifying of the Lord, abiding in His Word and prayer.

TRUE PEACE, GOD'S SHALOM, we can only find in God.

PEACE TO YOUR HEART!

In prayer for you,

Pastor Peter Mitskevich,

President of the Russian UECB Union.