June 2010
RICHES FROM RUSSIA – Isaiah 45:1-3
“Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held — to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.’”
The Holy Spirit gave our team these verses a few days prior to my departure May 31 to Russia by way of Norway. Vera Tsys, the national president of Aglow Russia, had invited my friend Claudia Stokes and me to meet her at the Norwegian National Aglow Conference in Alta, Norway, and travel with her from there to minister at Aglow conferences and meetings in Russia. Since Claudia and I had both lived in Norway for several years, we were excited about this opportunity to re-connect with Norwegian Christians and also meet Russian believers from Murmansk and Tuloma, cities just across the Norwegian-Russian border, who would be attending the Norwegian conference. What a perfect place to begin our trek! The conference in Norway was strategically multi-national — Sweden, Finland, Norway, the United States, and Russia were represented as we joined together in corporate prayer and worship. Vera, Claudia, and I then traveled to Veliky Novgorod, the exquisite 1150-year-old birthplace of Russia. After a whirlwind tour of the city, we spoke to a crowded room of eager listeners. 
Claudia expounded on the power of redemption and explained how redemption encompasses every level and aspect of our lives. God desires to restore, rebuild, and regenerate our minds, hearts, relationships, finances, and even our past. When I stood to speak, I suddenly understood that God wanted to remove a veil that the enemy had used to shroud God’s people in that city — a veil of religion and judgment, restriction and oppression, which had so overshadowed everyone for so many years, that people accepted that atmosphere without realizing God wants to lift it off. Claudia and I had bought a huge key to the city that morning in a souvenir shop. 
We believed that God wanted us to give that key to our host at that meeting as a symbol of that fact that He is giving His people revelation to unlock the doors the enemy has used to hold people captive. Just as Novgorod was a significant medieval trading center, NOW God wants people to exchange their sin for salvation, sadness and sorrow for joy, pain for healing, and dependencies for deliverance. The people responded enthusiastically to the call for prayer; during a time for testimonies, one man who had NOT come forward for prayer testified that God had opened up a blockage in one of his ears simply while he sat watching everyone else receive prayer!
The next morning, we reluctantly left our new-found friends behind and traveled to Siberia. Our first stop was Berdsk, a community on the south side of the much larger city of Novosibirsk. The pastor and his family minister to a group of very active believers; together, they reach out to those in need around them. The pastor employs several local men in various construction projects on the church property and even feeds them a noon meal every day. It was not unusual to find fifteen or twenty people around the tables in the kitchen — we were never the only guests at the table! Claudia, Vera, and I spoke at a series of conference meetings in Berdsk. Claudia spoke from Revelation 4 on the priority of worship. She exhorted us to respond to God’s encouragement to “come up here” into His presence. From the throne room, we get God’s perspective and see things from His point of view rather than our own. She explained that we need more revelation, not more information! As I listened to Claudia and Vera, I decided to speak on the need to keep our focus and fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3). It is important that we not be distracted by the difficulty or steepness of the path beneath our feet or by the opinions of people around us. I also understood that Berdsk serves as a gateway to Novosibirsk. God wants to use this community to bring truth and life into Novosibirsk. It was very evident that the people were truly on fire with love for Jesus. During the Soviet years, believers had been severely restricted in their expression of faith. Suddenly I realized what a precious treasure these Siberian believers are to God — the enemy would not have tried to lock them up and shut them down if they were not extremely valuable to the Kingdom of God! God wants to unlock and release them into the giftings and callings He has ordained for them. They are truly precious treasures that were hidden in a dark place, and God has released them and allowed their fire for Him to burn strongly. The spiritual ice is melting, and Siberia is truly on fire!
Vera, Claudia, and I traveled to neighboring Novosibirsk on a Friday evening in the middle of the Berdsk conference. The pastors there, it turned out, had been trained in the Berdsk church and had been sent to Novosibirsk to plant a church. Novosibirsk is a renowned center for academic research and is the home to a complex of several universities. While we were there, God revealed to me that He wants to defeat human reasoning and intellectualism and reveal His wisdom and truth to people. 
Moreover, Russian people generally have a much better understanding of thrones, kings, and authority than many of us in the West. Like the widow of Zarephath (I Kings 17:8-16), they have survived during times of great trial and testing. In these last days, in every nation, God wants to dethrone tyranny and every wicked 
authority and enthrone the King of kings in righteousness. Russian believers will have the understanding from the Holy Spirit on how to do just that in their nation! Claudia spoke again from Revelation 4, and we closed with a powerful time of spontaneous worship; we simply spent time together as believers from both nations, united in Spirit and worshipping Jesus. Our hosts drove us back to Berdsk to spend the night, as we had a conference meeting scheduled the next morning — then they drove back to Berdsk again that next morning to attend the meeting themselves!
Back in Berdsk, Vera spoke about the strength we have available to us in the Lord and in His Word. She exhorted us to come to Him in faith. She included many Scripture references to encourage us all, but Psalm 1 spoke to me as a clear picture of what my life as a believer should look like. I need only come continually to Him in faith, remembering that the Spirit of the Lord rests upon Him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). Before Vera spoke, Claudia and I both gave brief testimonies about God’s faithfulness to His Word and how He has used the Aglow ministry to speak life and freedom to us.
That evening, we drove with the pastor’s wife and associate pastor’s wife to a rehab center located in an isolated village. It was a rustic cabin in a picturesque rural setting accessible only on a very rutted dirt road. The living conditions were similar to camping (by American standards), but the people there were aglow with the hope of God. Every resident was a former addict of some sort, and every person participated in a rigid discipleship program which required them to memorize Scriptures, participate in worship and prayer, and train for future missionary service. I shared my testimony of healing and deliverance from anorexia and bulimia to a group of about 18 men and women. The five of us women prayed for those who wanted prayer, and some of the people began to pray in their prayer language for the first time. Vera counseled two or three of the residents after the prayer session, and Claudia and I enjoyed a wonderful time of encouragement and fellowship with the residents. We stood outside the cabin with blankets around us to ward off the evening chill and had a lovely time as God connected our hearts with these precious believers, treasures whom the enemy had tried to hide in the darkness but whom God has redeemed and set free!
The pastor in Berdsk was so delighted with what God had been doing among us all, that he gave the Sunday service to Vera, Claudia, and me to direct. Claudia preached the main sermon, and Vera and I each gave a shorter testimony. Vera asked people to come forward who had never publicly proclaimed their faith in Jesus Christ, and several older believers came forward. As Vera led them in a public confession of their faith, my eyes filled with tears at the gravity of that moment. We closed the meeting with spontaneous instrumental and vocal worship and enjoyed the presence of God together before saying good-bye to our dear friends.
More adventures awaited us, however! After an eight-hour overnight train to Omsk, another large city in Siberia, we were warmly welcomed by our host pastor and his family. Again, we were treated like family and given free rein to minister at the conference meetings according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The pastor had invited people from various churches all over the city to attend the conference and even had the meetings videotaped. As before, Claudia, Vera, and I all spoke at each meeting but rotated who gave the main message. All three of us ministered in prayer after each session. It was wonderful teamwork orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. Vera spoke from the parable of the sower, and Claudia expanded her message on the power of redemption. She explained that redemption is a process of transformation and that we should not be limited by our own human thinking (Isaiah 55:8-9).The Holy Spirit showed me that the Russian people, particularly those in Siberia, know how to persevere uncomplainingly under pressure. They have great endurance and know how to wait for what they want and need. In America, we are more demanding and impatient. I encouraged them not to lose heart, for the greatest work is often done by God during seasons of darkness. God has preserved His truth in the hidden places and has ordained for His power to rule and reign in Russia. In Omsk, just as the Om and Irtysh Rivers converge, God wants the rivers of His Spirit to come together, rivers from the various parts of His Body. Omsk is a strategic location. Just as it was a place historically where opposing powers collided when the people of Omsk resisted the Red Army, God is calling His people to rise up and confront darkness and bring truth. He is awakening HIS army (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
The pastor in Omsk also allowed us to offer a daytime seminar for the women in the church. I presented a teaching on how controlling spirits hinder ministry and how to recognize them and be free from them. Vera explained the Aglow ministry and discussed proper priorities in ministry. Claudia spoke on principles of leadership (apply the Word of God, have vision, pray, cultivate a servant’s heart, and have faith for the impossible). According to Psalm 8:5-6, man is the crowning creative work of God. An understanding of this concept will transform how we view ourselves and others and will affect our relationships.
Our final meeting in Omsk featured Vera teaching about faith, expectations, and blessings (Deut. 28, Gal. 3:13-14, James 1:22-25). Claudia spoke on our need for God to expand our heart and our vision (Is. 54:2-3, Hab. 2:14) I led the women in a corporate prayer of repentance for our attempts to manipulate and control men. We then released the men to be all that God has called them to be and proclaimed our respect for them. Although Claudia, Vera and I were eager to see our families again, we felt a real sadness as we left Siberia. God had supernaturally connected our hearts with the Russian believers we met and given us a real sense of partnership with one another. We look forward with eagerness to seeing them again, and we continue to hold them in our hearts! Not only did God give us treasures, He also broke down gates of bronze and bars of iron as He demolished national and cultural barriers and forged teamwork and genuine friendship among us as people from nations regarded by the world as enemies of one another. We are indeed united in Christ and precious treasures to one another!
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