Jesus Christ, the Hope of Declining Nations

Nations in Decline

A nation's fertility rate, or number of births per woman, is a key indicator of population trends. Also referred to as the replacement rate, if a nation's population is to remain stable, then, on average, a woman needs to have 2 children during her lifetime (one to replace the mother and one to replace the father). 

Unfortunately, in most former Soviet Union countries, the fertility rate is well below 2, with Ukraine having a despairingly low rate of 1.3. And although European and other Western countries are not shown, a little research will reveal to you that among Western countries with sustainable fertility rates, America is virtually alone. From East to West, nations are in decline.

Of the former Soviet Union countries that SRS currently ministers to, only Kazakhstan has a fertility rate above 2. Unfortunately, 70% of Kazakhs follow the "religion of peace," which, as this video of the Islamic State reveals, is not after peace, but like Satan the deceiver, is ultimately out to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

Every human being is created in God's image, which means every human is designed to be creative like Him. So a country with fewer people is a less creative country. And if it is less creative, it is less productive. And if it is less productive, it is poorer. And if it is poorer, it is less capable of defending itself from tyrants. 

One of God's first commands to humans was to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). And, to be clear, bearing fruit means a lot more than "have lots of children" (Galatians 5:22-23 for instance). So, while having more children may not be how God has called you and your spouse to bear fruit for His glory, it is safe to say that from East to West, many people, Christian men in particular, need to repent of self-centered ways, turn to Him, and put more effort into raising families for His glory.

And while we're on the subject of population decline, please pray for an end to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine. These are two diseased, corrupt, and infertile nations that any rational person can see have no business fighting petty wars. Fueled by propaganda and nationalistic pride on both sides, and Vladimir Putin's desire to relive the supposed "glory days" of the USSR, they are killing thousands, displacing hundreds of thousands, and making their countries less fruitful in the end.

Bearing fruit for His glory

But, with Jesus Christ, there is always hope, no matter how bad the statistics look! He is infinitely more powerful than numbers on a chart. With that said, praise the Lord for new fruit, such as the recent wedding of an SRS seminary student, living and pastoring a church in a closed Islamic country! And in the photo below is SRS graduate and Moscow area church planter, Yuri Levchenko and his family of 4. Pray that more Christians in these nations will bear fruit for His glory!

It's not the healthy who need a doctor

High AIDs infection rates. High corruption rates. Low fertility. These are a few outward signs of spiritually unhealthy nations. But as Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 9:12, and in Mark 2:17, and in Luke 5:31, it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. And so that is where SRS goes, to the sick nations, run by spiritually unhealthy people who need to hear the message that Jesus Christ alone is the cure.

If you are not already involved with SRS, prayerfully consider becoming a monthly donor. We could use 30 new supporters, giving $100 monthly. This support would allow SRS' field director Blake Purcell and his wife, Cathy, to visit the pastors and ministers connected to SRS. Visits from the Purcells are always a huge encouragement to the pastors, their families, and their churches, strengthening them as they seek to be ambassadors for Christ in unhealthy lands. Click here to donate to our general fund, or to Rev. Purcell directly.

Thank you for stopping by, and thank you for praying for SRS!

David Shormann, PhD
Secretary, SRS

A Christian Wedding in a Closed Islamic Country

Dear reader,

Rejoice with us in the wedding of Ridon and Rasha (not their real names), a Christian couple married this past weekend in a closed Islamic country! Ridon is a student in our Biblical Theological Seminary, and pastor of a reformed Presbyterian underground church in his town.

This wedding is tremendously good news, and is a ray of hope to Christians everywhere in these times
of tremendous persecution by Islamic terrorists. Pray fervently for the safety of Ridon and Rasha as they begin their lives together.

We would like to help Ridon and Rasha get off to a good start by helping them purchase a van. This would cost about $5,000. Ridon has been praying for a long time to have a van so that he could travel more and more effectively spread the Gospel in his town. The van would be a great benefit to this young couple in many ways.

Click here if you would like to donate online help Ridon and Rasha purchase a van! Next to "This is for:" selection "Seminary: General Fund," and in the "Message" type "for Ridon and Rasha's van."Click here if you would prefer to mail a check.

Here is a message from Pastor Evgeniy Krushkov, who performed the wedding:

Last night I came home from the closed country where I performed Ridon's Christian wedding with Rasha (not exactly her real name).
Thanks for your help and prayers, everything went better than I expected.

Most importantly, of course - the wedding ceremony. I used a traditional reformed liturgy. Ridon was wildly delighted. Rasha was quiet and shy. I was able to take a wedding gift to them which the Russian pastors of SRS had collected. Ridon was very grateful and thankful for being remembererd in this way.

I was very impressed by the hospitality of the people although they were very poor, it was a real feast.

In a few days I will share more about my trip.

Pastor Evgeniy Krushkov
Kazahkstan

God's Beauty is Intricate and Delicate

This is the third of a series of posts from a paper titled God's Beauty. Rev. Blake Purcell wrote this in 2006 while serving as Rector of the Biblical Theological Seminary in St. Petersburg, Russia. Follow along as Reverend Purcell explores God's beauty in the Book of Kells, in the Church, in the Word, and in doctrine.
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God’s beauty is often intricate and delicate. Psalm 68:7-13 leads into multiple levels of detail, of zooming with the camera of the psalmist’s vision in an ever finer detail.

Vss. 7-11 the whole land → vs. 12 the women of the land → vs. 13 sheepfolds → vs. 13 a dove → vs. 13 wings of silver→ vs. 13 pinions with shimmering gold.

Part of St. Matthew’s gospel, Book of Kells

In seven verses the psalmist takes us from a broad angle view large enough to fit 2 million people, down to a literary camera shot of the individual dove feather. God’s majesty in his vast procession is matched with the counter point of intricate detail. God’s masterpieces are beautiful in scope and in detail. 

I have studied icons up close and if they are large then they are not to be studied up close. The Kells must be studied up close and at a distance to take it in, as this blow up of the blow up of the corner of the page above reveals.

God's Beauty is Mysterious

This is the second of a series of posts from a paper titled God's Beauty. Rev. Blake Purcell wrote this in 2006 while serving as Rector of the Biblical Theological Seminary in St. Petersburg, Russia. Follow along as Reverend Purcell explores God's beauty in the Book of Kells, in the Church, in the Word, and in doctrine.

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God’s beauty is mysterious. 

First of all, in Psalm 68:13 we read,

“If you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of a dove are covered in silver, with its feathers in glittering gold.”

This is a literal translation. David writes that when the people of Israel were like sheep, they were like ornate doves. What in the world does this mean? I am not sure… and that is my point.

Prov. 25:2 reads, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search a matter out.” God purposefully conceals some of his beauty from us in order to make us look for it. Mystery is God’s way of developing us, and even enjoying playing with us, as we enjoy playing games with our little children. Obviously there is profound beauty in this verse, but this beauty is all the more attractive because it is concealing something from us, namely its logic and connection with our experience. We are not used to sheep being compared to silvery doves or being confused with such beauty. The gold and silver attract, the sheep force us to look again. Or maybe visa versa.

Opening of St. Luke's gospel, Book of Kells.

Russian icons convey mystery through layered golds in their backgrounds and bodies floating on those pearl-like backdrops. The Kells convey mystery through unidentifiable beasts and birds intertwined in almost unimaginable complexity. But Icons are often so flat and one dimensional they usually satisfy our minds in a few glances. The Kells’ depth inspires and requires repeated careful study and even then you are not completely sure what you are looking at. The Kells is more like Ps. 68:13 than an icons are.