Ukraine
Last year, while in Ukraine on an IOI trip, I remember being asked, “Why did you come?” There was a lot behind that question. Together with the residents of the city of Lviv, Ukraine, we had taken shelter the night before from 2:00 am – 5:00 am because of an air raid as Russian drones and missiles targeted the city. The question, “Why did you come?” meant; you didn’t need to leave the comforts and safety of home in the U.S. to visit a country at war. You didn’t need to risk getting hit by a drone. “Why did you come?” I said, “We didn’t want to tell you that we are standing with you by email from across the ocean. We wanted to tell you in person.”
That question could have been asked of Jesus when He came to earth. It could have been asked of Paul after he was beaten. It could be asked of any of us when we step into another person’s life to care about them.
On June 26th, a team of seven people aged 18-70 will fly back to Ukraine. Please pray for us. We carry with us the Spirit of Jesus who gives life, hope, and love. The people of Ukraine are now in their fifth year of active warfare and they are tired. Pray that we might be filled with hope and joy as we seek to encourage the brethren and share Jesus with the lost. I remember as a teenager reading the book by Brother Andrew, For the Love of my Brothers. Brother Andrew tells of his journeys to encourage people in some of the most persecuted places in the world. I remember he wrote about his visit to Uganda during the persecution under Idi Amin. This trip to Ukraine feels like it is in the same vein. Pray for us as we seek to encourage and bless the people of Ukraine.
Pastor Nate Jore
House to House
They departed and went through the villages preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Luke 9:6
That summarizes the mission that Jesus sent his twelve disciples on. They were going home-to-home and “preaching the gospel” to the lost. In Luke 9:2, Jesus sends them out “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” What did this proclamation of the Kingdom of God look like? These are disciples who are learning to mimic their master in every respect, so they told stories (parables) just like Jesus did. They proclaimed the Kingdom of God going door-to-door telling those same parables, using those same examples from normal every day life. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, a fruit tree, a net, a treasure, a measure of flour. When Jesus was asked why he spoke in parables, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of heaven.” Stop and consider, the Word of God that we share, the stories and parables, reveal the greatness of God and the secrets of the kingdom of heaven!
The Orality groups at Hope Lutheran in north Minneapolis decided to practice their training by going into the community seeking to introduce people to Jesus through sharing stories about him. They have gone out several weeks now and have found an openness from people to hearing the stories. A couple of weeks ago there was one who shared the story of the blind man in Luke 18 with a young lady. After hearing the story and discussing it a bit, she was asked what she noticed about Jesus. She said, “He cares.” When the crowd was telling him to be quiet, Jesus cared. He heard. He stopped. He healed. The young lady was assured that Jesus cares for her too. Give it a try! Pick a story. Learn to tell it. Ask someone, “Can I share a story about Jesus that I have been learning?”
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