Shepherd God’s Flock - Men’s prayer retreat in the mountains of Zagedan

“Feed the flock of God that is among you, overseeing it, not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but out of zeal” (1 Peter 5:2).

The first day served as preparation for subsequent prayerful reflections. At the evening meeting M.A. Medvedev, senior Pastor of the Stavropol Territory and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, called on those gathered to develop a relationship with the Lord following the example of Simeon from Luke’s gospel.

Then pastor V.A. Kalmykov from Stavropol, noted that we have gathered here to pray and communicate following the example of Christ. The Lord repeatedly went to the mountains to pray and communicate with God. After this, guests from different cities share their stories of God’s working and glorified God in singing.

The theme of the retreat was revealed by pastor A.A. Soloviev from Maykop. On the first day, he recalled the question asked of the prophet Jonah: “What is your occupation?” and urged us to think about what we are really doing, because life on Earth is so fleeting.

On the second day, the topic “Shepherd God’s flock” was shared, within the framework of which we considered 3 circles of responsibility of a minister:

• caring for people through meeting organization (balance between planned agenda and free participation)
• care in the sphere of life and everyday life of believers (visiting, helping and communicating with brothers and sisters in faith)
• responsibility for the village and city where we live. ("and take care of the welfare of the city." Jer. 29:7)

On this day, a special time was set aside for prayer and fasting, and during the evening fellowship those who wished could share their thoughts:

• Personal example is a great force; we can only lead people to where we ourselves have been,” noted M.A. Medvedev.
• “Take heed to yourself and to the teaching; do this constantly; for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.” (1 Timothy 4:16). After reading this text, D.L. Rogozin, pastor of the church in the village of Inozemtsevo, spoke about the power of the Word of God, which is quite sufficient for the salvation and growth of every person.

Also presented here were soulful literature for the spiritual growth of believers.

On the final day, the topic “Shepherd God’s flock - confrontation” was discussed.

• External opposition. “But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” (Ex. 5:2)
• Confrontation from those nearby. There are many situations in Scripture where co-workers or loved ones rebel against the servant of God. Christ, His disciples, the Apostle Paul, and King David faced this. “Even the man who was at peace with me, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalm 40:10)
• Confrontation in the heart: struggle with emotions, feelings, experiences, difficulty in making decisions...

In conclusion, I would like to note the need for such prayer retreats. “He said to them: go alone to a deserted place and rest a little, for there were many coming and going, so that they had no time to eat.” (Mark 6:31)

A. Medvedev